Right Where I Belong
by MercerJack4
Summary: Alex, 19, has been mentally and physically tormented her whole life. At 15, she met Bobby Mercer, who became like her big brother. She visits him in Detroit, bringing even more trouble with her. Can the guys, mainly Jack, learn to deal with this new girl?
1. An Old Friend

"An Old Friend"

This is my first fanfiction series, this is the pilot, I guess you could call it, and my first post on this site. I post this on LJ too.

There's a knock at the door.

Angel:"Hey, Jackie-boy! Wanna get that?"

Jack gets up to answer the door. When he opens, his eyes widen. Its not everyday u see a hot stranger at your doorstep. Jack's day is looking up. 'God, she's beautiful.'Jack thought to himself."Hi." the stranger says, looking at Jack w/ an expression that said, 'This is your cue, Gorgeous.'Then an all-too familiar face comes and stands behind Jack."Who is it, Jackie?" Bobby said, then his face goes to shock. The girl smiles the most beautiful grin, and Jack was bewildered by her face, even with it's semi-goofy expression. She wasn't a drop-dead gorgeous, tall, blonde, barbie-ho but she WAS amazing, w/ her medium-length dark brown hair, her impossible hazel eyes, her pale skin. He knew there was something special about her, she was different. You could see it in her eyes that she was deeper than she let show. So why would a woman like that be looking so happy to see any of the Mercer boys, epecially Bobby?

"Bobby!" She screamed as she jumped into Bobby's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up, he was incredibly happy. Which was weird, Bobby was never 'chipper', and he never seemed so happy to see a sexy young girl without him having a look on his face that said, 'I wanna tap that.' But this was different, he seemed innocently happy, which, once again, was weird, Bobby was never really innocent.

"Oh, my God, Alex. What are you doing here?"

"I heard what happened. God, Bobby, I'm sorry."

"Yeah...It's been hard on all of us."

"I was gonna come see you anyway. It's been too long, Mercer."

"It has. It's good to see you. Here, let's meet the family. Angel, get your ass in here, we got a houseguest." Bobby said as he draped an arm around his old friend and led her into the living room.

"Oh, I don't have to stay here--"

"Shut up, you've always got a room at my house. Jack, she's staying in your room."

"OK." Jack agreed.

"Don't seem so excited, you get the couch. Oh wait..it's you..never mind."

Jack rolled his eyes as his older brother entered the room.

"Who's this?" Angel asked.

"This, is Alex. She is a very good friend of mine, from back in the day, in Chicago. Alex, this is my little brother Angel. When you hear some whining 'en espanol', that'd be his girl, Sofi."

"Hey." Angel greeted her. "And you shut up, Bobby."

"'Sup, man."

"Yeah, yeah. This is Jeremiah." Bobby said.

"Nice to meet you." Jeremiah said, after getting off the couch when she first came in.

"Hey, Jeremiah."

"And this is baby brother, this is Cracker Jack."

"Cracker Jack. Nice."

"Yeah, its wonderful." Jack said, the sarcasm obvious, but not over-the-top. "Nice to meet you, though. I'm Jack."

"Alexis."

Bobby, in mid-cough, says, "Gay"

"Christ, Bobby, I can't believe you just 'gay-coughed' your little brother. What, are you like, 11?" Alexis laughs.

"She's gonna fit in just perfectly." Jeremiah said.

"So how did you meet a decent person, and make them like you?" Angel asked his big bro.

"I was a runaway. I, uh, tried to pickpocket some rich dick on a bus once. Dunno what the hell he was doin on a damn bus. Bobby saw me, laughed, he was the only one who saw, thank God."

"The dude had it comin'. But this one, she had potential. A girl, 'bout 15, and she could handle herself pretty well. Apparently, she had just ran away. So being the good guy I am, I took her in. God, its been 4, 5 years." When he reached the 'good guy' part, there were snorts and scoffs from all sides of the room. "Ok, all yall can kiss my ass, but can we eat now? Damn..."


	2. A New Friend

"A New Friend" I don't freaking own the characters. But that would be tight.

Jack went to the hall closet to get some blankets, seeing how he'd be on the couch for a while. "But the couch sucks."

"Well, she's not gettin' my room." Angel stood his ground, though there was a trace of bragging in his voice.

Alex chimed in. "Hey, man, give me the couch. God knows I've had worse to work with."

"No, no, you're our guest, and besides, Bobby will have my ass if I let you."

"Umm..OK...have fun on the couch, then. You had a chance." She then said quietly, "And thank you."

"No problem."

"I'm tired. Jetlag. Detroit's a long way from Las Vegas."

"Hell, no. You came here from Vegas?" Angel had a big smile.

"It was awesome. Didn't gamble, though. At least, not in the casinos. Not old enough. 'Night, boys."

"Goodnight." All the boys said simutaneously. They liked this girl. She had a certain charm to her. She was friendly, open, yet mysterious in a way. She never let on too much.

"So," Angel turned to Bobby,"How old _is_ she?"

Bobby's eyes go from the staircase to Angel, never a change of expression. "Not old enough for you."

"Man, I got Sofi, I don't need a girl, I got me a woman."

"If that's what you wanna call La Vida Loca, sure, OK."

"Shut up."

"I'm goin' to bed anyway."

"Yeah, me too." Jack said, settling himself on the couch. "Now, get out of my room."

Jack wakes up the next morning, feeling stiff, but not as bad as he thought it'd be. At least he could move without pain.

"Hi." A soft voice from behind said.

"Huh?" His head jerked around, and he found that the couch hadn't been as nice to him as he thought. "Ow."

"Good morning, Jack."

"Oh, hi." Jack said to his new houseguest, now totally awake, but not 'refreshed' as they say. "What time is it?" He asked, sitting up.

"Not even 6 yet."

"Damn, we're up early."

"I know. It's kinda nice though. Quiet. Something about it, you know?"

"Yeah, I do know."

"That was nice of you. Giving me your room for the night."

"Yeah, well, like I said. I didn't really have a choice. But I would've offered it to you anyway."

"I know. That's why I thanked you."

"So..you lived with Bobby?"

"Yeah. Back in the day. He was cool to me, though. He was like my big brother. I mean, he was like _a_ big brother, that's mine. Not like real brothers are. But, um..anyway...Yeah, which sounds kinda weird, some dude in his late 20's, keepin' a teenage girl around. But it wasn't like that. Not that we mattered to anybody. I was some runaway, and Bobby's not really a model citizen."

"That's true." Jack had to laugh at that, as did Alexis. "But he always seems to come through for family. Even if 3 minutes ago, he had you in a chokehold against the wall, and it was more than just sibling rivalry. But 3 minutes later, its as if none of it had ever happened. It's back to normal. He doesn't apologize, that's not Bobby. But he'll stand up for you, anybody ever got a problem,--"

"They gotta make it through Bobby first." They both say at the same time. She knew that, too. And they both smiled, satisfied that they had someone like Bobby.

"But he doesn't think that you can fight your own battles. He needs to figure that out. Sometimes we gotta face our own problems, sometimes."

"Yeah. You shoulda seen the way he was around my guy friends."

"Boyfriends?" Jack inquired, curiously.

"Not too many of those, really. So, pretty much just guy friends. Hey, don't get me wrong, I was the object of affection for many. For some, maybe not _a_-ffection." There was quite a pause there, kinda awkward. "So," Alex finally spoke, breaking this silence, "Cracker Jack? Really?"

Jack could only nod, with an expression saying, 'Yeah, it sucks as bad as it sounds.'

"Kinda cute. Cracker Jack. Clever. Fitting, I guess."

"Yeah, it's a frickin' joy."

Alex laughed. "I like you. You're cool. We're gonna make good friends, I can tell." Another awkward silence. "You know, I'm not usually this outgoing. I just make either a very good first impression, or a bad one. I was just so excited to see Bobby."

"I thought it was fantastic."

"What was?"

"Your first impression. I thought was amazing, personally."

"Are you flirting with me?"

Jack smiles slyly, looking as if he was about to say something charmingly witty, even though his panicking mind was drawing a blank. She thought the look he had was adorable, and was grinning, also looking charming, waiting to hear his next line, hoping it was gonna be sincere, ad not some cheesy pick-up line, which in her mind, made her smile a bit more, because she realized she was already at his place. But then the moment was broken, and they were both kinda bummed _and_ relieved, when Angel entered the room, awake, enough, at least.

"Morning," He said, not stopping, or making eye contact, just walking straight into the kitchen, rubbing the back of his head as he walked, then realized, he had no idea what the hell he was looking for, so he walked back out, stopped in the living room.

"Mission objective completed?" Alex asked, quickly raising and dropping an eyebrow, maing herself and Jack grin.

Angel did nothing but "mmm.."and scratched the back of his bald head. Then he actually spoke, after a moment of waking up and regaining full consciousness. "So how was your night on the couch, Baby Brother?"

Jack did the same "mmm.." sound.

"And yours, kid?" He asked, turning to Alexis.

"Well, at first, I was full of guilt and sympathy, for Jack. But then I realized, 'Damn, this bed is comfy.' And," bringing hand up in air, then back down, "from then on, it was 'screw guilt and sympathy, I was having a hard enough time with consciousness. Not that I was complaining, jetlag's a bitch."

"Don't I know it."

"Good to know you enjoyed yourself in my bed."

"How many guys have said that to you, Jack? I can't imagine many." Bobby, obviously, had said that.

"Yeah, I guess I just can't live up to the reputation of my big brother."

"Haha. Comeback." Angel was looking amused, as he sat down next to Alex.

"What's Bobby's next move?" She asked. "Can't wait to see." She, of course, was also amused.

"Bobby's gettin' something to eat next." Bobby announced, Angel and Alex disappointed, somewhat, to see that the battle of insults was at an end.

"So," Angel asked, he had obviously been wondering. "You said you hadn't gambled, you're underage. How old _are_ you?"

"Nineteen."

"Wow. You're young."

"Thanks, I guess. I'm more mature than I sound, though. Well, sometimes I am. Nineteen is an awesome age. You're old enough to be grown up, but still young enough to justify when you're acting like a teenager. So you can get away with it. So, Jack," she said, turning to him. "You're a musician? Obviously. You've got guitars in your room."

"Yeah." Jack said, nodding.

"I play bass. I've kinda got the basics of guitar own, though."

"Yeah," Bobby said, "Jack's like, the second coming of Freddie Mercury."

"Shut up, man."

"Hah. I'll stop when you're straight." As if saying, 'When pigs fly.'

"I _am_ straight. But I haven't seen you with a girl for a while."

The rest Alex didn't hear, she already put on headphones, and was listening to her mp3 player. Foreigner blocked out the immature bickering of Jack and Bobby, even though it _was_ somewhat humorous. "Jukebox Hero" was blaring and in her headphones. Her favorite song by a band she had listened to pretty much all her life. Soon it ended and Eminem's "Lose Yourself" started. Another favorite song.

"Whatcha listening to?" She read Angel's lips. She removed the headphones, and placed them on his head for a few moments, before setting them down and stopping the music. "Eminem. Nice."

"Yeah. My own personal compilation. All my favorite songs. I know every word to that one."

"I can't really see you rapping."

"You don't wanna. It's not pretty." She laughed. "Actually, people find it amusing when I rap. I've got just assorted shit on here. Some Eminem, Linkin Park, Creed, Foreigner, Green Day..."

"So you kinda covered the entire field there." Jeremiah asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Wait, Dude, where did you come from?" She laughed again. "Are they still..?"

"Bobby? Yeah. Damn immature Bobby. I love my brother, but I can't stand livin' with him for too long, you know?"

"Yeah. I know." Alex agreed, not hesitating, nodding. "Actually, don't know if you know this, but I knew your mom."

"No shit?" Angel said.

"No shit. Bobby wanted me to meet her. Thought maybe I should stay with her, she could help. But, I don't know, I always stuck with Bobby. I guess she thought it'd be good for both of us. She was cool like that."

"Yeah, she was."

There's an angry knock at the door. Like always, everyone looks around at everyone else, until someone gets up the nerve. This time it was Jerry.

"Can I help you?"

"Alex here?" said the aggravated voice of a man, maybe early 20's.

"Who wants to know?" Angel showed up behind Jeremiah.

"Oh, God." Alex said as she started for the stairs as best she could without being seen by the all-too familiar stranger, with Jack and Bobby behind her.

"Who the HELL is that, Alexis?"

But it was too late. He had already seen her. "ALEX! Girl, we gotta talk!"

"WHAT WAS THAT! _TALK_!" Alexis yelled as she went downstairs and outside, angered. "We never TALKED, Chris, YOU talked, I was just your bitch, remember!"

"And I'm gonna talk again. Why you run off like that, baby? Didn't we have a good thing?" He touched her face, she cringed, and pulled away quickly, disgusted. She turned and started to walk away, but he grabbed her arm, turned her around, and punched her.

"Bitch!"

The guys ran out, and, of course, ganged up on the dude, Alex soon regaining her ground and going back. But before the others could get to Chris, Jack already had, and got in the way, making it difficult for the guys to get in on it. But Jackie-Boy needed no help. He was pissed. He just kept on punching the guy, kicking him, letting out a little inner rage.

"Go Jackie-O!" cheered Angel.

"You're not gonna touch her! You so much as look at her again I swear to God I'll kill you. Leave her, my family, all of us alone or I swear we'll hunt you down! You wanna know somethin' else?" He pulled the guy closer by the collar. "I'm the _nice_ one!" And with that he let go of the guy, and went over to Alex. "You OK?"

"I coulda took him. I was just..thrown off guard." She then laughed, despite the pain in her jaw. "Thank you, again."

"No problem." Jack said, helping her up and taking her inside. "He was an asshole."

"Oh my God, Jack, what the fuck got into you! That was amazing!" Jerry, along with his other brothers, had never seen Jack let go like that. Bobby, though he hated it, felt a little unneeded. She was like his little sister, and this was the first time he wasn't there to protect her. Yet, _Jack_ was. _Jack_, the fairy. He was like the black sheep of the Mercer family bizarro-world, if that made any sense whatsoever.

_I guess getting shot made a man out of him,_ Bobby thought.

They all went inside, except Angel, who was last. He looked at the unconscious dude on the ground.

"Hey? Hey! What the hell do we do with him!"


	3. A New Enemy

"A New Enemy"

Comments: Ok a part of this might seem familiar to Buffy fans but i woulda come up w/ it by myself, its kinda predictable. and it may get a little uneventful, or maybe thats just me, but it picks up near the end.

Jack walked Alexis in and sat her on the couch.

"Hey, Jer, get me some ice or something, will ya?"

"Damn, I'm fine, I'll be fine. You should see the other guy. Thanks to you." Alex said, sounding worn out.

"He hurt you. I wasn't gonna let him get away with that."

Alexis smiles, then winces. "Damn, ow."

"You OK?" Bobby came in.

"I'm FINE, kiddies. Just a little surface bruising. I'll live. My face will heal and I'll be all pretty and shit again."

Bobby scoffs a laugh and smiles.

Angel then walks in nervously, and after looking back, almost spastically, and finally closes the door.

"What's your problem? Jeremiah asked.

"DAMN! Y'all leave me outside with some unconscious dude! What the hell I am supposed to do with that!"

"Leave it. It's a piece of shit." Jack said, unhesitatingly, not even glancing over at Angel.

"Yeah, you demonstrated that outside. Can you say 'overkill'?" Alex teased. "Not that I didn't find it amusing. I coulda took him. If I had had the chance, with Jack goin' all Rambo and whatnot."

"Yeah. Where the hell you been storin' all that?" Angel said, seeming to forget about the dude.

"Dunno. But maybe I should let it out a little more often, eh?"

"Hell yes. My hero. Besides you, Bobby. And I'm sure you guys would have done the same." That last part she directed at Angel and Jeremiah.

Jack smiled at this. He was never someone anybody admired. Or thought to be someone who could protect them. Or who someone looked up to. Not including the fact that he towered over his brothers. He liked this feeling. He liked being wanted. He never felt like this. Well, he knew his brother really did love him and want him around, and there was Evelyn. But before that...before that, there was no one. And when there WAS someone, they weren't anyone who really CARED. But Alexis was different, beautiful, but she truly didn't know the extent of it. Pure.

'Damn, I must be crazy. I like her, I guess. But she's too good for me. I know that. If anything, I know THAT. Bobby will kick my ass, though. Shit, look at me, already thinkin' she's gonna like ME, she's gonna wanna be with ME. I hardly even know this girl.' Jack thought to himself. He obviously zoned out for an inconvenient moment, because he came back to reality and Angel and Jerry were looking at him.

"What?" He blinked.

"You like her, don't you?" Angel smiled at him, raising his eyebrows.

"Don't tell Bobby, he'll have your ass mounted on the wall." Jeremiah warned.

"I know, I know."

"So you DO like her?" Angel eyes widen.

"What?--Shut up!"

"What the hell's this?" Bobby entered the hall with his brothers.

"N-Nothin'. Why?" Jack got nervous all of a sudden.

"What's fuckin' you up?"

"Nothing! God! I didn't do anything!" Jack looked kinda shaky now, but ran upstairs.

"Uhh..yeah..sure.." Bobby shook his head and turned to his brothers. "Must be his time of the month."

Alex came upstairs to Jack's room, to see him strumming on his guitar.

"Hey, man."

"Hey." He said, sitting up, putting his guitar away, leaning it against his desk. "How you doin'?"

"Oh, I'm good. Thanks."

"Yeah. So you play guitar too?"

"Kinda. I'm learning. I can play a few songs. It's a work in progress. I can play bass, though."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

After that there was kind of an awkward silence. Until Alex finally broke it.

"Umm...smalltalk...yeah, not too good at that."

"Me neither."

"So, how old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"Wow, cool.

"Uhh...yeah..."

"Dammit." Alex, partly to get things going, partly cuz he was just so damn cute, went straight over and kissed Jack on the cheek.

His expression: surprised, joyous, excited, and a little feeling of wanting to kiss her, right then and there. OK, maybe not SO small a feeling.

"Thank you, for helping me. I couldn't ask for more. You protected me. Not so many people are willing to do that. Thank you. That meant a lot."

She then walked out, not saying anything, until Jack called out into the hall, before she went downstairs (she had insisted she take the couch).

"Goodnight..Alex."

She turned back. "Goodnight." She slightly smiled, before heading down the stairs.

Jack woke up in the middle of the night, oddly. He looked at the digital clock on his headboard. 3:57. He was still kinda tired, but he thought he heard something downstairs. Being a Mercer, of course, he impulsively grabbed a gat Bobby had gave him. Hah. Bobby's idea of a practical gift. Not that it didn't come in handy, sometimes. He stuck it in the back of his pants, and went out into the hall, then started to head downstairs. No one. Then he remembered Alex, maybe it was her, maybe it was the scumbag, back for more. From Jack, of course. He would be damned if Chris even got the pleasure of touching Alex, he would hit the ground first. Hard. Jack would be sure of that. But he saw that there was nothing, he had just overreacted, he guessed. But he did hear something, slight, almost a sigh or whimper. Alexis. Jack went over to the couch, and kneeled down by her. She was dreaming. And sweating slightly. And crying. Tears flowed out of the corners of her eyes. She made more of those noises.

"Alex." Jack whispered. He shook her gently. "Wake up."

She woke with a quiet gasp, and breathed heavily. "Jack." She said, and pulled him toward herself in a hug, as if she needed to be held, protected, comforted. She was still sobbing.

"Shh, you're OK, You're fine. Safe. I promise. Bad dream?"

She nodded. At first, she was going to say how that didn't sound half as bad as her hellish dream, but she felt as if she had lost the energy, all her strength she had left, it seemed, was used on her hold on Jack.

"You want me to take you upstairs? You can have my bed."

Again, she nodded. He picked her up, carried her up the stairs into his room, and set her down there, on his bed. He then kissed her forehead. "You're safe, now." Then he turned to go downstairs.

"Jack." She said to Jack, who stopped at the doorway, and turned to her.

"Jack, I'm scared. I had a really bad dream. Do you have to leave?"

"No. No, I'll stick around, I guess. If you want me to."

"Thank you."

"No problem, I'll just sit here with you, I guess." He said, sitting on his chair. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I...would you..."

"What?"

"...Hold me, please. I don't want you other there, I want you over here. With me."

"...OK." He said, after a second of processing what she asked of him, in disbelief. He then climbed onto the bed, and sat back there, her resting against him, in his arms. He felt scared, and overjoyed, at the same time. He was uncomfortable, yet it felt so right. He was confused. But after a bit, he fell asleep also. He woke up, apparently not too long later. Alexis was awake, sitting up.

"You doing better?"

"Huh? Yes. Thank you." She hugged Jack.

"No problem."

She pulled back from the hug, she as she did, she looked into Jack's blue-green eyes, and was blown away. He was breathtaking, this lovely, lovely boy, who obviously understood she had a problem, and knew not to ask. He never liked people to ask him. Some had before, he told them to fuck off. He stroked her hair, it was incredibly dark brown, he loved that blue streak she had near the front, it set her apart. As did many other things. She was totally different from anyone he'd ever met before. She was just, all-around beautiful. Despite the slight bruise.

He's just so damn cute, she thought. He slid his hands to hold her face, as she did the same, pulling him closer to her, and kissed him. They were there for a moment, just kissing, passionately, pouring all emotion into this one kiss, like this was the way they had chosen to go at the end of the world, contributing all they could into this one glorious moment. Until familiar voices, nearing Jack's room, frightened them and they quickly stopped before Bobby and Angel came into view, and Alexis starting to look at Jack's guitar, as if this was the only reason she had been there.

"Mornin', Ladies."

Alexis was nervous, shaken a bit, but yet satisfied to fit that kiss in. She wouldn't regret that. Certainly not. So she had on a BIG smile as she left Jack's room. "Morning, Angel, Bobby."

"Hey, Kid." Bobby said, then he and Angel looked at Jack.

"She know you a fairy, right?" Angel asked.

"Shut up! And, Man, get out of my room." Jack closed the door, sighed, and then smiled, resting his head against his door.

"Hey, Kiddo, who was that guy? From yesterday?" Bobby yelld through the bathroom door, Alex was changing inside.

But Alex opened the door. Apparently, privacy wasn't a problem for her. She didn't even have her jeans on all the way yet, and pulled them on over her black shorty-shorts underwear. Bobby smacked Angel's chest, not even bothering to look at his brother behind him, he knew Angel well enough to know that he was smirking.

"Ow! What the fuck!"

Alex just smiled, as if that was an experiment. Then she remembered the question. "My friend's ex. He abused her, she depended on him. Even stuck with him after he had 'cheated' on her with her best friend. Fucker tried to assault me."

"The fuck?I'm gonna kill him!"

"Whoa homie, I got my revenge."

"How's that?"

"You don't wanna know."

"Good enough for me." Angel trusted that.

"Yeah, he missing a finger, too."

"Damn." Bobby said.

"Thanks. I try. Well, he did do all that shit to my friend, got her addicted, beat her, tried to do the same to me, accomplished the addiction part, thankfully not too long. I ain't no one's bitch."

"Yeah, where the hell'd you find underwear like that? You don't wanna go 'round lookin' like a ho, do you?"

"Bobby," she said, walking downstairs, Bobby following, Angel, too. "You don't really expect me to be a virgin, do you?"

"Oh my God, what, you just been givin' it away?"

"Nah, Bobby, no. I don't gotta do that. I'm not that desperate. Besides, Bobby, dammit, I'm NINETEEN. You lost it at 14. I KNOW that."

"So, you did it outta spite!"

"Bobby, CALM DOWN. I'm not a whore, but I'm just not a virgin. I've had sex, you know. No biggie. I'm still me. Damn. Just taller."

"Yeah, I can see that." She wasn't freakishly tall, but Alexis was about 5' 8", tall-ish for a girl.

Then Jeremiah came in. "Hey, everybody."

Bobby walked out of the living room into the hall to greet his brother. Angel went over to Alex.

"Jack likes you, you know."

She smiled at him coyly and nodded. "I know."

Angel was shocked. "You goin' with the fairy!"

"What! No."

"Oh."

"I kissed him, though."

"What!"

"Shh...not so loud, Bobby will hear!" she said softly, yet powerfully to him after he followed her into the kitchen.

"OK. But STILL, you kissed Jack! My little brother?--Bobby's little brother?"

"Yes! And it was amazing. And I wanna do it again."

"OK, c-calm down there. So, you're kinda, sorta, um...yeah...?"

"Uhh...that'd work...yeah...that...I like that...i hope so..."

Jeremiah came into the kitchen then. "What's goin' on? Uhh, Alex, why do you have Angel up against the wall by his collar?"

Alex shrugged. "Felt like it. Why? You wanna turn?" She smiled.

Jeremiah backed off, put is hands up a little, laughing. "Hey, no problem here. But...why?"

Angel giggled a little. "She kissed Jack."

Alex pushed him a little more. "That's a pretty little giggle you got."

"You WHAT!"

"Hey, what the hell's goin' on in here?" Bobby entered the kitchen with th rest of them. "Why is Angel up against the wall?"

Alex looked jumpy. She released Angel. "Nothin'. Man, nothin'. So what was that, Jeremiah? Any news?"

"Uh..Homie out there is gone. Did y'all move him?"

"No. Thought maybe Angel and Bobby did." Jack came into the kitchen, too. He gives Alex a look. Grateful, mellow. "Hey."

Alex returns his content, soft smile. "Hi."

"Uhh..yeah. Morning, Cracker Jack." Bobby greeted.

Jack gave him a quick nod, not annoyed, just kinda mellow.

"Nah. We forgot, I guess." Angel answered. "He's gone?"

"Yeah. Wasn't outside."

"Screw it." Alex said. "Fuck him. He's not the threat here."

"What do you mean?" Bobby was thinkin, 'Damn, this girl can make enemies.'

"I mean, I think there are more. People, they don't like me too much. I piss too many people off. Powerful people."

"You sayin' you got people following you, hunting you down! Here!"

Before she could answer, there were gunshots. Two bullets hit the wall, across the room.

"What do YOU think!."

"Yo, I think we gotta grab a piece and fight!" Angel yelled, pulling out two guns from behind him, ready to start firing back.


	4. Knocked Down

"Knocked Down"

"OH SHIT!" Bobby yelled, as a few more 'warning shots' were fired, and grabbed his guns as well. Jack, Jeremiah, and Alex, the ones not packin', ran to the dining room table, where, conveniently, there were 4 handguns, and a sawn-off shotgun. Bobby had been reloading them the night before. Alex took the shotgun, she was partial to it, she supposed. Just then, someone shot the front door, a kicked it in. Needless to say, despite he was armed with an AK, he went down rather quickly. Alex took the intense risk of getting herself shot, running to get it, until Angel pulled her back. But she got the gun. She quickly ran upstairs, figuring she could take a sniper-type position. 2 guys rushed in from the back, but Angel took one out, Jerry got the other. Alexis took Angel's room's window, and took out a guy in front. She ran to the top of the stairs.

"It's clear from my view! It clear!"

"Yeah! It's good back here!" Jeremiah yelled from the back entrance of the house, with Bobby.

"Over here's good!" Jack shouted from the front, with Angel. "Hey, that one outside! He's still moving a bit! Wanna question him?"

"Yeah! Bring him on in, Jack! Angel go with him." Bobby yelled.

Jack goes outside, kicks the gun away from the wounded dude. But he's got another. Under him. He pulls it out, points it at Jack, who's got his gun pointed at him, and pulls the trigger.

"AAH!" Jack shouts. He'd been shot. Angel shot the guy, then ran to his brother.

"MAN DOWN! JACK!"

Bobby, Alex, and Jerry all run out of the house, as fast as they can, Alex sliding to her knees, scraping them both, probably, but that's not the matter at hand. "Oh my God! Bobby, call an ambulance! They shot him in the ribs, I think! GO!" Alex is screaming, crying. Bobby pulls out his cell, dials 911.

"My brother! He was shot! We need an ambulance! Help! Get us a fucking ambulance!"

"Ahh!" Jack is yelling, wincing in pain.

"Jack! Oh my God, Jack, HOLD ON! There's an ambulance coming, Baby, HOLD THE FUCK ON!" She's putting pressure on the wound to try to help and stop the bleeding. The ambulance appears soon, and they take Jack.

Jeremiah, Bobby, Angel, and Alex sat in the waiting room. No word about Jack. Everyone's eyes are red, yeah, they had been crying. You tend to do that when you don't even know if your brother is alive. Alex sat back, her head against the wall. She squeezed her eyes shut. Tears flowed out of each.

"It's my fault he was shot. I led them here. He was trying to protect me. Seem's like he has ever since I got here. He took care of that bastard who came by the other day. He took care of me when I had that horrible dream. He never even asked why. And how is he repayed? With a bullet to the ribs. My God. My fault. Just like it always was."

Jeremiah says nothing. Until, "What dream?"

"Last night. I had a bad dream. Really bad." She turns to face Jerry. "REALLY, bad. I was crying, sweating, making, I don't know, noises. Jack helped. He woke me up, carried me upstairs, let me take HIS bed. Was willing to stay there, I didn't wanna be alone. And..."

"What?"

"He held me when I was scared. He lied there with me, I needed..I don't know..solace. You get that?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do. Angel and Bobby wouldn't, but I do. So, you really like Jack?"

"Yeah. If anything, he's still my best friend, I guess. And I really like him. Which is weird cuz I've only known his for like 3 days. But still, God, I hope he's ok. I don't think I can handle just waiting anymore."

Angel hadn't heard the rest of the conversation, but heard the last part. "Me neither." Angel, tough guy, and he was in pain. You could see it in his eyes. Bobby's too. Bobby, the oldest, strongest, toughest, the Michigan Mauler, and he was tearing up. He was so afraid. He could lose his brother. Jack was too young.

So there they sat, silently, awkwardly, lost. They had had one of those rare moments, only heard about, where you literally lose track of time, and don't know whether you've been sitting here for a few minutes, or half an hour, or even 2 hours. But at one point, a doctor came out, and walked over to them.

"Jack Mercer's family?"

Bobby looked up, then stands, as do the rest. "Yes, he's my brother."

"Ah. Well, we've been treating him for quite some time. The bullet had just grazed a rib."

Alex mouth was open, slightly, and her hazel eyes were full of fear, and pain.

"And...we almost lost him. He's very lucky."

Alex expression broke into a slight smile, though still sad, and the boys were happy as well. They had their brother! Jack was going to be alright.

"Thank you, Doctor. Can we see him?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, the anesthesia has worn off, and he's pretty much back to normal. He should be able to go home tonight, actually. He's a quick healer. I was looking at his file. He's quite the fighter, isn't he? He's certainly a survivor."

"Yes. Yes, he is, Doctor. Thank you. So much." Jeremiah shook the doctor's hand. Alex and the boys went through nervous laughs, and hugs, then headed back to see Jack.

"Hey, Jackie-Boy." Angel said, the toughness gone from his voice, he was just there for his little brother, whom he loved.

Jack raised his hand, to wave. "Hey."

"How you doin'?" Jerry asked, walking to the other side of the hospital bed.

"Man, I was shot. How do YOU think I'm doin? I'm...just, PEACHY." He said, teasingly. "And I wanna go home, I do. As soon as possible."

"OK, man, we'll see when you can leave.They said soon." Bobby told him. But Jack's gaze went to Alex, and met her eyes.

"Hey." he said softly.

She seemed a little nervous, but relieved. She gave Jack a slightly sad smile. "Hey." She went over to the side of his bed, where Jerry was standing, opposite Bobby and Angel.

"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't you. And I'm fine now."

"They were after me. I led them there."

"What else were you supposed to do? Rather have me shot than you dead."

"I"m sorry, anyway."

"That's ok. Don't cry anymore, alright?"

Alex nods. Jack turns to the rest of them. "That goes for you guys, too. I know you were crying. Admit it, you do love me."

"Yeah, we were all very on edge. But good to have you here, and alright." Bobby said.

So, yes, Jack being such the fighter he is, he got to go home the next day, recovering quickly from yesterday's 'incident'. The next night, he was upstairs in his room, when Alex entered.

"Hi." He smiled, remembering yesterday morning, but seeming to forget the aftermath, everything after that kiss. He made her smile, too, he seemed to brighten the moment for her, and Alex, in all her randomness and humor, sweetness, her shyness, yet still so open, and her mystery, seemed to make him do the same. "Back for more?"

She just smiled wider, closed hs bedroom door, sat on his bed, and kissed him once more. And again. And kept on doing that for a bit. Yeah. They made out. Until, well, let's just say, there was another time-losing moment, or whatever. It was late night. But for a moment, Alex stopped.

"What is it?"

"Are we gonna...?"

"Do you want to?"

Alex nodded after a second. "Do you have any...?"

"Uhh..I don't think so."

"Angel might."

"You really want me to ask my brother if he has any condoms?"

"No." She sayed, shaking her head, surely. "Hey, I'm very sneaky."

"No. They're all over in there. You'll be traumatized. It'll burn your eyes."

Alex laughed. "OK, but um..we need some."

"There's a drug store a few blocks down. You stay here. I'll run down there. OK?"

"You're awesome, you know that. The best."

"I know." They kissed quickly, then Jack ran downstairs, grabbed his hoody, and was getting ready to leave.

"Where are YOU going?" Bobby stopped him.

"I, uh, I'm gonna run down to the drug store. I'm outta cigs. Why? You need somethin'?"

"No, man. Go ahead."

"OK." He said nervously, then he took off. A few minutes later he came back, and ran upstairs.

"Hi!" he yelled as he ran, then was gone.

"Ah, quality time with your family." Bobby joked.

"A Kodak moment." Angel smiled, then they went upstairs, and each went to bed.

Jack ran into his room still wearing his new hoody, and kissed Alex again. They made out a little while longer, no sex, not yet, but Alex was now againt the wall, making out with Jack. But they had left the door open slightly, and that would come back to bite them.


	5. Picked Up

"Picked Up" (yep. there's implications of sex. deal with it. but guess what? its not Jack, this time. well, slightly. but, well, just read it.)

So, they were last making out. But they made a mistake. They left the door open a bit. So say, if...Bobby, walking into the bathroom, saw a hooded figure has Alex up against the wall, um, kinda sexually, um, yeah, controversy. Of course, he thought Jack was downstairs, asleep, so how would he know better? Bobby charges into Jack's room, pulls the hooded figure away from her, and punches him not even seeing his face.

"YOU don't touch her!" He yells, still punching, in the face AND abdomen.

"Ah!" Jack yelled, and Bobby beat the guy a little more.

"Bobby, DON'T!" Alex yelled.

"WHY NOT?"

"BOBBY!" She yelled, as Bobby threw the guy out into the hall, where Angel came out.

"The HELL, Bobby!"

"This guy jumped her!"

"Asshole!" And Angel kicked Jack.

"Angel, stop!" Alex yelled.

"WHY?"

"CUZ HE'S YOUR BROTHER!"

That stopped him.

"What?" He stopped, kneeled down, and pulled off the guy's hood. Jack was curled up on the ground, wincing in pain.

"Oh my God, Jack." Alexis said, ran to him, and dropped to her knees next to him.

Bobby and Angel's faces were in pure shock and confusion.

"Oh my God, wait, why were you here? Are you sleeping with her?"

"Bobby..." Alex said.

Bobby then spotted the small package on Jack's bed next to him.

"Oh my God! You are! THIS is why you left? My God. I can't BELIEVE this! What were you thinking!"

"BOBBY!" She yelled. "Shut the fuck up, and I'll explain."

"EXPLAIN?"

"YES! I like Jack, ok? A lot. And we're free to do whatever we like, we're adults."

"YOU'RE A KID!"

"I'M NINETEEN! I can smoke, if I want, vote, if I want, and I CAN have sex, if I feel I want to."

"Oh my God, oh my God." Bobby said, walking downstairs.

"Where are you going?" Angel asked him.

"I gotta get outta this house."

"Bobby.." Alex said, longing for the feeling of comfort he had always provided for her. But he had already left, slammed the door, shutting her off. Her 'big brother', the first and only person she could ever trust, and he couldn't even stand to look at her right now. But she helped Angel tend to Jack, afterwards, and kept apologizing.

"Oh my God, Jack. Oh my God. I'm soo sorry. This is my fault, you're always getting hurt cuzza me."

"Yeah, I know. Being your boyfriend, it's not an easy task, is it? But not a problem, I'll live. My ribs hurt like a son of a bitch right now, and my face is probably all banged up, but I can't really blame anyone for that. Not Bobby. Not Angel. And NOT you, ok?" He held her face with one hand, and she nodded, looking away, then back at him. "OK." He said, and kissed her cheek. "Angel, to the fridge. Beers all around. I need a drink. Alex, I can only assume..."

"Yeah."  
"OK. And Angel, you've never passed down anything alcoholic. Don't start now."

"Hah. You're funny. Really, you are." He said, humorous in his seriousness. He passed out a beer to each, then sat down on the living room chair, Alexis sitting next to Jack.

"You'll enjoy drinking with me. I can't hold my liquor, and I'm the giggly-drunk type." Alex stated, almost proudly.

Jack laughed. "I'll bet you still look hot, though."

"Well, yeah, that goes without saying."

"You guys are now gonna be totally open about this, aren't you? This whole, relationship thing?"

"Huh? Um, we never really, uh, established, a, uh, name for this...thing.." Jack said, nervously.

"Oh.." Angel said. 'Shit. Now they have to. Nice going, Mercer,' He thought to himself.

"So, uh, is this...are we...um, are you my boyfriend now?" Alex was equally on edge, and hopeful, still.

"Uh..yes." He said, first taking a second to think, not about his decision, but about how to word it. So, he just said it. "I am." He said, turning to look at her. "Meaning, you're my girlfriend."

"Wow. Cool." And again, she makes him forget all about his wounds, all that's paining him. They draw each other nearer, and, though it happened much quicker than it's explained, they continue what they had going, making out on the couch. Angel was very uncomfortable, obviously, but he be damned if he was leaving a beer unfinished.

It was cold outside. It was late October, but in Detroit, winter lasted about half the year. But Bobby had hardly noticed. He was too wound up. 'What the hell just happened?' He needed a drink. Desperately. He entered the bar, and sat down at the counter. The bartender, John, didn't even bother asking, just brought him a beer. He knew the routine. Bobby sat, silently. Then, a girl, about, say, 28, came in, and took a seat at the counter. She had reddish-brown hair, straight, medium-length. She wore a red leather jacket, open to show a black tank, clearly showing her red bra underneath, and a short leather mini-skirt. On her feet were tall shiny leather hooker-type boots, with pointy heels, not to the point of they could easily stab out your eyes, but still outrageously, well, outrageous. Bobby was pretty sure she was a stripper. Or a hooker. Either. Or both. She sat down a few stools away from Bobby, where the bar took a corner, so he wasn't really next to hr, but not technically facing her, either. But it would be obvious whenever he glanced over at her. Which is what she wanted.

"Hey, John-o! Beer, please."

"Here you go, kid. Drink up."

So there they sat, for a moment, before,

"So, you're not gonna hit on me?"

"Huh?" Bobby asked, dumbfounded.

"Hit on me. I figured you would. Every guy does. But you didn't."

"Did you want me to?"

She shrugged, her eyebrows raising and falling as her shoulders did. "Haven't decided yet. What did you have in mind?"

"I didn't. YOU struck up this conversation."

Again her eyebrows raised as she nodded. "You have a point there. So, do you mind if I hit on you?"

This time it was Bobby's turn to raise his eyebrows. He almost spit his beer across the room, and, seeing his expression, Katrina, the smartass 'barmaid' ducked to the side, holding up a towel she had been using to wipe down the counter as cover. Bobby flipped her off, more friendly then offensive, if that made any sense, and she returned the gesture. The girl at the bar just laughed. "So, DO you mind?"

He thought for a second, then swiveled in his stool, slightly, so he was facing her. "Hit me with your best shot." He said, and grinned.

Bobby and the girl burst through the door of the bar, and went outside, kissing hungrily. There were leaning up against her car.

"So, you wanna let me in your car? We can, well..." She smiled, michieviously.

"Wait, I thought this was your car."

"No..."

They both glanced at the car, they quickly moved away, moving back to the building, leaning now against the wall, still making out.

"Wait, what's your name?" She asked him.

"Bobby. You?"

"Kerrie." She slid her hand away from Bobby's, well, she wasn't THERE, but she was close, and quickly shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Bobby."

"You too."

Ah, smalltalk. Didn't last long, though. They soon returned to making out.

After a bit, she pulled out a credit card, and used her head to signal down the street. "There's a crappy motel not too far from here."

Breathing deeply, like her, he looked toward the hotel, then back at her, and nodded. They walked, very fast. The silence on the way there was awkward. But they neared the motel, got a room, then could hardly get outside before he grabbed her, spun her around, and started kissing her again. Her lips. Her neck. She fumbled with the key, not even tearing herself away for a moment to see what she was doing. But she soon go the door open. Bobby kicked the door shut, and, in the dark, they somehow found the bed, and fell down on it. This girl was intriguing. She was Bobby's type. Not a whore, don't get it twisted, but, still, she was, interesting.


	6. Memory

"Memory"

"Wait, Jack." Alex stopped. They were on Jack's bed.

"What is it?" Jack moved away a bit. "What's wrong, Baby?"

"Bobby. He's not back yet. I just, what went on, here? Am I supposed to be mad at him, or...I just, I'm confused."

"Don't, don't be angry at Bobby. He didn't know. Well, I dunno what he would've done if he knew it was me to begin with. But he didn't. He saw a guy in my room, thought you were in danger, and stepped in to help."

"Yeah, but like you said, what WOULD he have done? He might've done the same, regardless, Jack."

"Well we can't know, now. But yeah, I hope he comes back home soon. As long as he doesn't hit me again."

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry." She yawned. "Are you tired?"

"Yeah. You goin' to bed?"

"I think so, yeah. Hey, tonight, you can stay up here too, can't you?" She said, standing up, standing close to him, his hands holding her face. He kissed her sweetly, then lightly bit his bottom lip, like he was savoring the memory.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be staying."

It was late night, outside the Mercer house. Iciss, yes that was her name, had her trusty silenced .38 tucked into her baggy black jeans. She was sent here. She had received a call, from...someone. In this business, you learn not to ask too many questions. She did find it humorous, however, that the person who had called her and met her with half the payment had found it necessary to use a deep scary voice, and wear a long coat and hide their face. She had almost started giggling when they had spoken to her. But now it was time to do her job. Once more, don't get it twisted, she wasn't a moral-less assassin. She only went after those who had done wrong already, and the law was to no avail. Who could rely on the police anyway, they never helped any. This woman she was sent after, she was a murderer. About 20, a few years younger than herself. She had killed two men. Killed one guy, a family man, he had a wife, and 3 kids. The second one she framed for the first's murder. Then she got bored and killed him too. Mutilated him. Whoever had sent her had slid her photos from the crime scenes. The first, he was stabbed, multiple times to the abdomen. He must've been about 40-something. The second, he was beyond recognition. Half his face was blown off, and the other half, well, good luck cleaning THAT up. He was probably in his late 20's, early 30's. But his poor mother, she had been so sad to lose her son, her only family. Same went for the first man's wife, and her kids. Those poor people. This bitch would pay.

Everyone in this house was asleep. All the lights were out. 'This shouldn't be too hard,' She thought to herself, then scolded. 'Don't get cocky, Iciss, that'll getcha killed.' She quietly slipped in, after picking the back door's lock. She slipped upstairs, after securing the downstairs, knowing no one was there. But here it got tricky. That meant everyone was up here, and they'd have the advantage. That was, they would if they were awake, and aware. She had been told that there was only one female in the house, and she was to be killed. She was blind here, not knowing which room this girl was in, and what room would be the death of her. But what the hell? She picked this room. She entered, and saw two people in this bed. A young man, with what could possibly be the greatest hair on Earth, and a young woman, in his arms. They looked so in love, and they both looked so innocent, so pained by the past, and yet somehow,also the present. But she had to do the job. She went for her gun, pulled it out, and aimed. But as she did, she felt a barrel against the back of her neck as well.

"Drop it." She heard a voice from behind, the voice she had dreaded to hear, she had been caught, and she was gonna be shot, but also, that voice, it sounded...comforting, as well as putting her on edge. She could tell, he was hot. She could do that. Judge looks by voice. She had only heard two words from him, and they had been threatening, not to mention he had a gun to her head, but yet, she was seriously attracted to him already. She lifted her hand, pointing her gun up, and he quickly snatched it from her. The sleeping couple started to stir.

"Who the hell are you!" Jack said, pulling out his own gun, Alex doing the same. Basic instinct.

"I GOT this, guys." Angel said, then directed his words at Iciss. "Who the hell are you!"

"Iciss. My name is Iciss."

"Iciss? Hi, Iciss. I'm Angel. Now tell me, why were you gonna shoot my little brother, and his girlfriend? Huh?"

"Your brother? Adoption, or slang?"

"Shut up. Adoption. Shut up. Answer me."

"I wasn't. Well, I was. But not your brother. Just the girl."

"Why?" Alex questioned, returning her gun's aim to the assassin.

"Alex! I got this." Angel exclaimed. "Why?"

Iciss couldn't help but laugh, then coughed. "Sorry. Because. I was hired. And she's a murderer."

Bobby woke up the next morning, in a strange room, and 3 hands. After some conseration, he decided that one of the hands was not of his possession. He concluded, it was the hand with purplish-red fingernail polish. He flashed back to the previous night, and smiled. And she was still here. Bobby finally realized that that sound was the shower. That girl, Kerrie. Bobby lied there, and thought about this..situation. Bobby had only had one drink, same for her. So, 1) she didn't sleep with him because she was drunk, and 2) she really was that hot. 'So, Bobby,' he thought to himself, 'What's your next move?' He sat up. There was a note on the nightstand. It read:

B,

If you wake up, and I'm gone, my number

is 555-1454. I had fun. So did you. So call me.

If you don't, well, I've got your cell number, I'll

call you.

p.s. if you wake up, and im still here, in the shower...

well, we had fun LAST night

--Kerrie

Bobby had to smile. This girl knew him all-too well. He got up, out of bed, and walked into the bathroom. Kerrie heard him, opened the shower curtain a bit, peeked her head out. "I wished you'd wake up while I was in here. Had you slept any longer, I was gonna hafta stall. So, you up for a shower?"

"What! She's not a murderer! YOU'RE the hitman here!" Jack yelled. Alex's face was white. She was silent.

"Yeah. Explain yourself." Angel sat Iciss on Jack's chair. "Who sent you?"

"Does the hitman ever know who sent them?"

"Why were you sent to kill my friend?"

"Again, no one tells the assassin anything."

"Then why did you mention her being a 'murderer'? Obviously you know something, and it matters to you."

"OK. I only do jobs, I only 'hit' those who I believe have done something morally wrong. I can't just kill some innocent person."

"But Alexis IS innocent. Whatever the told you, they were lying." Jack was angered now.

"Jack." Alex touched his arm.

"Alex?"

"She IS a murderer. Isn't that right?" Iciss looked at her.

"Shut up! No! I-I DIDN'T!" Alex pulled her knees up to her chest, her hands to her head, by her forehead. Sh almost started crying.

"Who did they tell you she killed?" Jack yelled.

"Two men. George Berr and Tim Clayton. She framed Clayton for Berr's murder, then killed him anyway. Right?"

"What? N-no! That's a lie! Liar! Shut up! Please!" She really was crying now. Jack pulled her close to him, her head against his chest. She left a small dark spot on his blue shirt where she had cryed.

"Shh..You're fine. Safe. I promise." He said, stroking her hair. She was sobbing, gasping. She had ever seemed so unstable. But she soon pulled herself together, and got tough again. She stood up and went over to Iciss.

"You wanna know the truth? You wanna know who REALLY did wrong!"

"Where am I goin?" She nodded toward Angel, his gun still pointed at her.

"OK then." She sat down on Jack's bed, and told everyone there the story.

"I was gang raped, technically. One guy was in it for sex, the other wanted that sick dominating feeling. But the freak got jealous, and killed the other one. And he came back for more, the sick fuck. That's how I got some of these scars. It was painful. That's why I have some of these dreams."

"So you didn't kill Berr?"

"No. I didn't."

"What about Clayton?

"That fuck." She stood, and leaned against the wall across the room. "I blew him away. Point blank in the face. Left his face so messed up, not even his own mother would be able to recognize him, though i doubt she'd want anything to do with that psychopath. Thats how I got the other scars. He was like a roach. Just wouldn't die without a struggle. I think what killed him most was, neither would I. But I knew something was up. Why would he bring the other guy in the first place? He was hired. To kill me.But he couldn't resist himself, could he? That motherfucker, I was only 12!" She smacked the wall with her hand, leaned her back to it, and slid down to the floor. There she started crying again.

So for a while they kept trying to figure out who sent Iciss. Who would hate Alex? And for that? And was that why they we after her, or was that just a cover? And where the hell was Bobby?


	7. Some Girls

"Some Girls"

"I should go...My brothers...they've...probably been worrying...ever since I...stormed out last night." Bobby said, in between kissing Kerrie.

"Why'd you...leave?"

Bobby stopped. "I dunno. Shit."

"What'd they do to you?"

"To me? Well, nothing. Everything. I dunno."

"Tell me."

He sighed. He had to talk to someone. Might as well be the girl he slept with. Twice. So he explained his situation to her. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

"No. You didn't know. Then you were confused. Your brothers can't blame you for that."

"Dammit."

"What?"

Well, I thought MAYBE I could uphold my reputation around SOMEONE. I'm not usually such a pussy."

"Hey, I know you've definitely got masculinity down. But you looked stress. And sex can't ALWAYS help that. Sometimes, but not all the time. And sometimes," she said, sitting now behind him on the bed, kissing his neck, "sometimes, you have to compromise."

They started kissing, going further, but Bobby said again how he should go home, see his brothers.

"Are you gonna call me?"

"Would it matter? Wouldn't YOU call ME regardless?"

"Well, it woudn't hurt to call me. You are sooo gonna."

"Am I?"

"Mmhmmm. Because I am different than any other girl you've met. You like me. You do. So, until then, I'll be waiting, with my cell phone." She kissed him powerfully, quickly, then let him leave.

Bobby started the walk home, hoping he was read to deal with this. He figured he had more tolerance now, well, for, obvious reasons.

"You know, now that I failed my job, I'm a target now. I'm in danger." Iciss explained.

"Your point?" Jerry asked.

"My point is," She looked at Jeremiah, then at Angel. "I'll need protection. They're gonna kill me."

"Probably." Angel said.

"Maybe we should keep her here." Alex spoke, for the first time in a while. "Others are tracking me. She could give us information, if she has any, and she's two more trigger fingers to have around."

Bobby entered. Everyone stared, nervously. Again being Bobby, he acted as if what happened before never did, and focused on the matter at hand. "Who're you?"

"Who're you?" Iciss asked back.

"Maybe you didn't realize, but you are tied to a chair in MY house, and therefore really in no position to be asking questions."

"Iciss Wren, assassin. I'd shake your hand, but, well.." She shrugged, signaling that she was a little tied up at the moment.

"Understandable. Bobby Mercer. Now, Iciss, can you tell me why a hitman is in my house?"

"They sent her to kill Alex." Jack stood up.

"Who?"

"Who knows." Iciss said.

"Why?"

"Dunno. But they said she was a murderer. They lied, somewhat, or were misinformed."

"Somewhat? The hell does that mean?"

So Alex told her story again, as painful as it was the first time, she had to fill Bobby in.

"My God. Alex... I'm so sorry." He went over to her, despite the terms they had left off on, and hugged her, the way he always did, making her feel safe in the arms of Bobby. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't wanna go back." She quickly pulled herself together. "Wait, where were you? Where did you go?" Her eyes squinted a little. "Why do you seem so...different?"

"Different?"

"Yeah." She, and Angel, who went over to stand next to her to see, and everyone else, who got curious, except for their hostage, anyway, looked him in the eye. Then Alex and Angel's faces changed. They finally got it. Their jaws dropped, smiling.

"What? What's going on?" Asked Iciss, apparently oblivious to her own current status.

"BOBBY! Bobby got laid!" Angel yelled. Jack laughed.

"By who?" Alex asked.

"No one. Just, this girl," He smiled, then stopped. "Hey, shut up!"

Jerry laughed as well. "Bobby got some! Way to go!" He high-fived Alexis. They were obviously mocking him.

"Shut up!" But he couldn't help but laugh. Iciss, though, reached in his back pocket, and pulled something out.

"What's this?"

"What the hell? The hostage is teasing me now too!"

"Ooh. A note."

"What does it say?" Angel was excited.

"Lemme take this chance to say, of anyone who's ever held me captive, it's been a pleasure being here. I think I'll enjoy myself greatly. Now, to read Bobby's letter. Ahem, --"

"Wait, how did you get untied?" Jerry asked.

"It was a very complicated process. I admire your craftsmanship, really. Now for the note:

'B, If you wake up, and I'm gone, my nu--'"

"Gimme that!" Bobby snatched the letter away from her. But as he was looking at her, Jack took it.

"...my number is 55--"

"Hey!" Bobby once again snatched it, only to have Alex jump on his back, to grab it. "Damn! No! It's mine!"

"Gimme the letter, Bobby! I wanna read!" They were like children, playing keep away. Finally Alexis got a hold of it, jumped down from Bobby, and an to the other side of the room. Jerry and Angel had to hold Bobby still, while Alex read it off, Jack behind her, grinning.

"...555-1454. I had fun. So did you..." She read off the entire letter. Her eyes widened when she read the P.S. part. "Hahah. Oh my God, Bobby! Naughty.."

"Shut up."

"Are you gonna call her?" Jack asked.

"I might."

"She sounds like she made a helluva first impression."

"She did."

"Ooh. Bobby's got a girlfriend!" Iciss teased.

"You've been here for what, 12 minutes? Shut up!"

"But you DO like her." Jerry stated.

"Maybe.." Bobby then regained his toughness, or attempted to. "Wanna make something of it?"

Just then, there was a gunfire outside. Everyone grabbed a piece, and ran for cover. But then, this was odd, there was a knock on the door. Bobby cautiously, with Jerry behind him, and Angel following, too, opened the door. There they saw Katrina. Kat worked at the bar, and as there the night Bobby met Kerrie.

"Jesus, Kat. What was that?"

"Do you see that dude?" She pointed to a guy outside, gripping his leg in pain.

"Yeah."

"I shot him. In the leg. He had a gun pointed at someone in here. You guys really should be more careful." She said, letting herself in. "You're lucky I was here to save your ass." She said, putting her gun back into the back of her pants. "Full house, huh?"

"Yeah. We got a few more. Why? You need a place to stay? This ain't no fuckin' bed and breakfast, you know."

"I know. I was just gonna return your gloves. You left them in the bar, last night. You know, before you left with Kerrie. Some girl, eh?"

"Yeah, I know. I WAS there. Hey, we should question that guy."

"Yeah. I'll get him." Jack volunteered, as did Alex.

"Secure him first, Jack." Bobby warned. Everyone knew what happened last time. OK, maybe not EVERYONE, Katrina didn't know, and Iciss was new, so MOST everyone knew. Shut up, I'm telling a story here. So Jack and Alexis dragged in the guy, and tied him to the chair, now that Iciss was free.

"Who are you?" Bobby asked. The man was silent. Bobby cocked his gun, put it to the guy's head. "What was that you said? I didn't hear."

"My name is John." The man had quite an accent. Russian, probably. "But that's not important, is it?"

"Even so, hi John, welcome. Now tell me what the hell you were doing outside my house with this gun."

"I was sent to kill someone here."

"Who!"

"A girl. Two, actually. One for not doing her job, the other, doing the job the first didn't accomplish. Those two." He signaled with his head toward Iciss and Alex.

"Who sent you?" He was silent. Bobby pistol-whipped the man, not enough to knock him out, but it got him to bleed. And to talk.


	8. Secrets

"Secrets"

"Stephen Miklaano."

"Miklaano? Dunno that name. Any of you?" Bobby said, turning back to the group.

"I don't think so." and "Not that I remember." and likewise statements were the mutual response of the entire room.

"What does he want with Alex?" Bobby asked the hostage.

"He wants her dead, I believe I mentioned that already."

Bobby put his gun to the John's head again. "Was that you, showing me lip?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't advise that." Angel chimed in.

"Listen to my brother, John, he's very good with these things."

"No lip. He wants her dead. And the one named Iciss, you, I believe," He said, referring to Iciss. "You turned on him, therefore you know too much. You were supposed to die, today. Both of you. He wanted you dead," Now directing his words toward Alexis, "because you have 'a past'. That is pretty much all I know. You did something, you caused him a great loss. A great...misfortune."

Alex was getting nervous now, but was doing an ok job of hiding it. Why couldn't she figure out who this guy was and why he wanted her dead? What did she ever do to him? "I'm assuming what I did was revenge, I'm never the instigator. He must have started it. But I don't know any Miklaano. I don't think I ever even knew a Ste-" She stopped. She DID remember. Her heart raced, but she was not only scared, and that was because her past was coming back to haunt her, but also anger would soon come, it always did. It wasn't rare when she got angry when she was sad, but especially because this was not without motivation. "I don't know any Miklaano. That wasn't always his name, was it?"

"No."

"Rennett."

"Yes."

"Stephen Rennett."

"Yes." He was smirking now, and Jerry was getting sorta creeped out, as well as agitated. He back-hand slapped the hostage across the face. The rest had no objective reaction. If anything, they thought it was cool, funny, Jeremiah bitch-slapping some guy.

"Who the hell is Rennett?" Jack had to ask.

"I killed his parents."

"What the shit! What in fuck?" Bobby was flustered now, and he couldn't even curse right. "Alex?"

Alex's breathing increased, and she collapsed on the couch. Jack went over to her quickly, sat down, and, with one hand, reached out, took Molly's face gently, and turned it towards him, to meet his eyes. She had a blank yet lost expression, looking down, then meeting Jack's eyes. He saw that same pain, the guilt of the innocent. The same trauma that scarred him as well. So many bad things we've done, yet we still are convinced by others, and we insist on ourselves, that we are innocent. Why? Because we are, somewhat. The guilt of our crimes may be justified if we maintain the innocence of our morals. She then pulled away, sadly, returning to her original position.

"I don't want to remember."

"I know."

"But I do. I remember Lionel and Leah Rennett. I remember, Leah, she fucked around with Daddy, Mom too, probably," The anger was kicking in now, if you hadn't noticed. "The bitch. Regardless of my parents being dicks, she made it worse. Dunno why I expected better from them. I stood up to her before, and got beat for it. A lot. Bitch threw me down the stairs. Fuckin' parents don't give a damn, they're all too wasted to even do anything but bitch about when they get their next hit. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to care for my own parents, I was the kid, I wasn't even supposed to care for myself yet. But I just didn't have the heart to let them go hungry, I guess. I got sick of it, then, yeah, the rape happened. But still, I pulled MYSELF together. No help. Not a damn person there. No shoulders to cry on. I had ONE release."

"What was that?" Jack was almost afraid to ask.

"A razor-blade, my fore-arm. I tried it only once, I just wanted..." She started to cry then, not sobbing, just silent tears streaming down her face. Jack pulled her toward him, and held her tightly, afraid he might lose her if his grip loosened. He kissed her forehead, eyes focused on nothing, an empty area across the room. he didn't think he could handle looking at someone without breaking, then asked, quietly, "What did you want?"

She pulled out of his embrace. "I just wanted to know that I could still feel. To know that I was still alive, and could feel, even if it was suffering. I was desperate. I had to bleed just to know that I was really alive."

"Alex.."

"Yeah, Iciss?"

"What happened? To this couple?"

She sighed. "I was 13. I went over to the Rennett house. It was ending today."

"What was?" Angel asked.

"Everything. All this twisted shit, it was gonna end. I couldn't take it anymore. Not that I ever could. But all the other times, I dealt. It seemed I had no other choice. I took my dad's gun, and I went over to that house. Their son, Steve, was a little older than me. But he was gone. School. I had almost always gone to school, days I looked at my parents and just thought, 'Screw it. They're vegetables now. Whybother? Fuckin' junkies.' But her husband, he was there. I never really got to know him, but I knew he hated his wife. She musta had something on him, something to keep him quiet. He was only there for his son. I never..meant..." She sighed, shaken, nervously, "I never meant for him to die. He was a bystander. And I killed him. I killed Leah, don't get me wrong, I had to shoot her, my life had nose-dove, crash-landed, and burned to ashes because of her. I attended their funeral, is because, I owed it to him, and hers, because, well, besides the fact that the service was for both of them, I wanted to see what everyone else thought of her, how humane she really seemed. No wonder their kid hates me. It's understandable."

"But," Bobby's turn now, "If he's trying to kill you, he's as good as an enemy of this house. Don't say he's not doing wrong here. That's two strikes. In this house, when you're against us, you don't get a third. In fact you rarely get past your first without an injury. That's how our system works."

"Ooh. I like having you guys as allies." Iciss chimed in. "Hey, I got past my first strike! And I'm not fatally injured. I must be good."

"Or just really hot." Angel mumbled.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Well, this is all very touching," John the Hostage spoke up, "But what ae you going to do with me?"

"Use you as a bargaining tool." Bobby said. "Where can we find this Miklaano guy?"

"Not too far from here." The man said, seeing as how Bobby's gun had tgone back to its original position, the barrel against his head. "Ferrier Hotel. His penthouse suite there.That's where I got my money before I came. I can almost guarantee you he won't be there. Not anymore, I should have returned by now."

"Well, we're not taking any chances. You're going back. Apparently, it was harder than you thought to kill those two, and it took a bit longer than you had expected. But you are going to be our little spy. You are going to find out where this guy is, where we can find him, when he's alone, when and how we can get to him without any suspicion. Obviously, you have discovered, we have mor allies than you think. Do not underestimate us, John. And if you turn on us, my brothers and I, we will be very angry. This, right now, this is me being rather chipper, can't you tell? I'm being patient. Watch your back, John, cuz you're playing both sides of the field now. That's not an easy task to accomplish without being shot. This is a threat, and a warning. Now go. And have a nice walk out to your car wih a bullet in your leg."

Bobby decided he needed a friend. He couldn't really be like that around his brothers, he knew that, they wouldn't let him hear the end of it. They could never share emotions, especially not Bobby. That could be taken as weakness. So he called the one person who made him feel, well, he couldn't even describe how she made him feel. But whatever this feeling was, he liked it. And hated it. He hated to love it. She knew everything about him, as far as what to do to make him crazy, how to make him smile. But he always felt the need to come back for more, and never regretted it. He went outside, pulled out his cell, dialed 555-1454, then hesitated, before he hit the talk button.

With every ring his heart rate increased. 'Maybe she won't be home.' Bobby thought. That didn't help at all. 'You idiot, this is her CELL number. Besides, she said she'd be waiting, expecting you.' Then, the moment of importance.

"Hey."

"Hi, Kerrie."

"Hey, Bobby."

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Answer, like you know it's me calling you."

"You ARE calling me."

"But you didn't know that."

"Not technically."

"Or did you?"

"You would love to know that, wouldn't you?"

"There are so many things about you I would love to understand."

"Really?" She said, rhetorically, flirtaciously.

"Mmhmmm. How 'bout now? We could go get a drink or something."

"Well--" There was an odd noise in the background, sounding slightly like somone or something crying out faintly. "Shit. Bobby I gotta go, alright? I'm sorry. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"Um, sure, ok. See you later." Bobby hung up, and wondered just what that noise was. That was odd, and whatever it was was definitely the reason she had left so quickly. Something was up. She sounded like she didn't want him to hear what happened, like he wasn't supposed to. Oh well. It was probably nothing. Still, Bobby felt like taking a walk, getting some air. He started walking off, when Alex, Jack, and Jerry, and whoever else was behind them, probably everyone, were at the doorway.

"Hey Bobby! Where you goin'?" Alex asked.

"I'm taking a walk."

"Mind if we join ya? We're all bored. I think I could use some air too."

"Sure. C'mon."

Alex joined Bobby, followed by Jerry, then Jack. So did Kat, her shift at the bar was over.

"You guys comin' too?" Bobby asked Angel and Iciss.

"Nah, I'm not goin', Bobby." Angel answered.

"How bout you?"

"Nah, I'll stay here."

"Suit yourselves."

So the five left, leaving Iciss and Angel alone.

"I heard what you said, before."

"The 'hot' thing?"

Iciss nodded. "You're not bad-lookng yourself."

"No?"

"Mm-mmm. Actually, you're pretty hot."

Angel grinned, laughed a little.

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Not technically. Not anymore. Uh, it's complicated."

"Oh, I totally get that. Yeah."

"Good. Thanks."

"No problem. Been there, done that."

She looked at him, curiously, him just staring ahead. She turned his head to face her, and kissed him. She pulled back after the kiss, and smiled. He got past the initial shock, and grinned widely as well, looking away. Then he kissed her. He turned and kind of pinned her against the wall, her back to it, and kept on kissing her. They kept on making out, somehow making their way upstairs and into Angel's room, kicking the door shut, and, well, you can pretty much guess what happened next.

So the five were walking, going down Wrier Street. It was a pretty busy street today. But they were just talking, walking. Alex slipped her hand into Jack's and he looked at her, and smiled. But she just kept on looking ahead, talking with the rest of the group. Which was fine, he felt amazing just observing her. He held her hand, and they kept on walking. But Jeremiah, out of the corner of his eye, saw something A child's teddy bear had rolled out into the street. The owner, a small girl, not even four, if even three, walked obliviously out into the street to get it, unaware of the large truck headed her way, that couldn't possibly have seen her. Jeremiah said, under his breath, "Oh my God."

"What?" Katrina asked. Then she looked the way he was, and saw. "Shit." She ran, although Jerry had a headstart on her, and he snatched up the girl just in time, and pulled her out of the way, back toward them, and ended up on the ground, the child behind his arm, he was holding her protectively, and breathing heavily, the fear and the rescue taking a lot out of him.

"JANEANE!" A woman called from across the street, and sprinted across to Jerry and the girl.

"Oh my God! Thank you! Janeane!" She took the girl in her arms tightly. Bobby was shocked by what he saw.

"Kerrie?"


	9. Matters of Kin

"Matters of Kin"

"Kerrie, wh..." Not only could Bobby not finish his statement, he had yet to even think of anything to say.

"Bobby! Bobby, I..I.."

"Kerrie?" Jack exclaimed. "Th-the Kerrie?"

"Bobby," she shifted the child in her arms, "This is Janeane, my niece. I'm her guardian." There was an awkward silence. "Did you all want to come inside? We can talk there. It's cold out here."

They entered Kerrie's apartment. "Make yourselves at home. I'll be right back." She went into a bedroom, and put Janeane in her crib. She then reentered the living room, where Jack, Alex, Kat, and Jerry had all squeezed onto the couch, wondering what this would be like, how his would turn out. Bobby took a living room chair, and Kerrie stood. "Over a year ago, almost two, my sister, and her husband, were in a car accident. They died that night. I've been taking care of Janeane ever since. Actually, my other sister is supposed to, but I don't know where she is."

"I'm sorry, for your loss." Alex said, her face blank, not looking at Kerrie, just looking off.

"Thank you. I don't believe I've actually met any of you."

"Kerrie, this is my brother Jack, his..my...friend Alex, my friend Katrina, and my brother Jeremiah. Everybody, the infamous Kerrie."

"Infamous? You talk about me?"

"Yyeah, well, that note, I put it in my pocket, BIG mistake. And now I will never hear the end of it." His expression changed, as he first changed the subject. "You didn't want me to know."

"It scares people off, you know. The responsibility of taking care of a little kid. But you, I just, I didn't want to scare you away."

"Me? You like ME?" She nodded. "You care about what I think? And you didn't want to chase me off, because," and by this time he was more stating than asking, "you really like me, and you wanna go out with me. And you're going to. Because you can't reject this adorable face."

"Damnit. You're right. It's like, my kryptonite. Hey, this isn't your whole family, is it?"

"Nah we got a few more at home. Why?"

"You didn't catch that? You just invited me over for dinner tonight."

"When did I do that?" He smiled.

"Just now." Everyone on the couch interrupted the conversation.

"I'll call the sitter." Kerrie went over to the phone, and Bobby returned to his party.

"I like her." Jack said. "She's...assertive. She's good for you."

"Hey, I'm not marrying her or anything."

"But you ARE dating her."

"Well.."

"Let's see, you wouldn't date anyone else, you keep coming back to see her after a one night stand, and if she ever went out with anyone else, you'd kick his ass into next thursday. Yeah, you're dating." Jack sat back and smiled.

"So..you guys are dating?"

"Yeah. Where were you?" Alex smiled. "Oh yeah, getting laid at a motel."

"Shut up."

"Well you were."

"At least I wasn't doing it in a house full of people with the door open."

"We didn't know it was. We were a little...preoccupied. And besides, we never actually did. We were so RUDELY interrupted."

"Wh-! I didn't know. I just saw some hooded guy."

"We know." Jack reassured.

"OK," Kerrie came in, "Sitter's on his way." Bobby noticed how different she had looked compared to that night. She had her hair back in a resting ponytail, was wearing FULL clothes, and had on little make-up, what she had on being lighter, making her face look, softer, somehow, if that made any sense. He wanted to kiss her, but not here, in front of the rest of them, and besides, he hardly knew her. But he did, he knew how to make her smile, and how to make her crazy. But did HE know that?

Iciss awoke silently, peacefully. She was in an unfamiliar room. Angel's room, she soon recalled. Angel was asleep, next to her, his arm around her waist. She finally got up the courage to start moving, slowly, in brief movements. She was clear, almost, she had made it off his bed halfway, most of her legs still there, when Angel stirred and moved slightly. Iciss froze, in a rather odd, uncomfortable position, almost like she was doing push-ups. Her arms were shaky, under pressure, and so her hold on herself would only work for so long before she--

too late. She collapsed with a yelp. She popped back up and looked at the STILL unconscious Angel nervously. 'Damn, you a heavy sleeper.' She then had to search around for her clothes. 'Ah, a shirt. Now for underwear. Where the hell--? Oh. There they are. Jeans over here.' And thats how it went before she found all her clothes, and got dressed. A complicated process indeed. She looked over at Angel. He was still sound asleep. He looked so cute. She went over and kissed his cheek sweetly, then left the room. She turned around, only to see something that froze her where she stood.

Angel then stirred, and awoke, wrapped his sheet around his waist, and went to the doorway, where Iciss was standing, and not moving. "Hey," he said smoothly, then looked to see where Iciss was looking, down the stairs. So he looked too. There, at the doorway, was a group of six. They had returned, and with one more this time. And they were all staring.

"Hi there." Jack greeted, grinning.

"Oh, shit." Iciss said,and Angel was so shocked he dropped his sheet.

Kat went "Whoa!", Kerrie laughed, and Alex tilted her head and asked Jack, "Does that look like rugburn to you?", making Jack tilt his head as well. "Looks like," he responded, with a smile.

Angel soon entered the living room, with everyone else, this time fully dressed. He and Iciss were introduced to Kerrie.

Then the real action started. They were laughing, talking, having fun, when there was a knock on the door. Kat volunteered to get it this time, since she was closest. She opened it, to see two men there.

"Can I help you?"

"Alexis Fischer?"

"Who wants to know?"

One man pulled out a gun, and was about to shoot. But Angel showed up behind them, apparently he had snuck around out the back, and shoved the gunman. He still took the shot, but he only hit Katrina's arm. The other man pulled out his gun and attempted to shoot Angel. But Jack came out through the front, and shoved the man, whose gun fell away from him, as did the first man and his gun. Bobby and Alexis showed up with guns pointed, and the men started running, down the street, jumping in a car, and taking off. Then Bobby went over to where Kerrie and Jeremiah were trying to help Kat.

"Shoot to kill, motherfuckers. That, that ain't no way to get the job done." She seemed fine, though she was breathing heavily, and winced in pain. "I need a beer." Speak of the devil, here comes Angel, with, of course, a beer. A nice pain reliever.

"Well, you'll live." Kerrie said, examining Katrina's wound. "Not that you were worried."

"Hahahah. This hurts like a bitch."

"Right now, let's bandage this up."

"Am I gonna die?" Apparently she was a little drunk already.

"Shut up." Bobby laughed.

"Oh, come on, you'd be lost without my wit. You love me. Damn, I AM your sister, for God's sakes."

"What? You've had a little too much to drink."

"No, I can hold my liquor, you know that. But you don't know this. I'm Evelyn's daughter."

Bobby looked at her, confused, suspiciously. She nodded.

"What? But I thought--"

"She gave it up? She did. To friends, who were trying, but couldn't. Little before she adopted you."

"What?" Jack saw and wondered what was going on, they hadn't heard the conversation.

"Meet your big sister, Jackie." Bobby said.


	10. A Little Fun

"A Little Fun"

Ok this chapter is a little uneventful, but mostly about Jack and Alex. But here it is, in all its glory. oh yes, and Jack does have a small musical performance, acoustic, and I must have been like really sleep deprived or something when I wrote the lyrics...hope you're enjoyin this crap..Wow I have like no self-confidence...

"What!" Jack brow wrinkled, with a 'this-can't-be' type face.

"Yeah, What?" Angel exclaimed.

"Guys, before Mom adopted any of us, she had a kid. She didn't keep it though. Uh, I'm not really sure of the...wha...SISTER?" He turned to Katrina, still in shock.

She breathed deeply and nodded.

"Bu...Wha...She had another kid?" Jack was yelling.

"Yes, ok! She did. Me and Jerry found some pictures once. She said she gave it up, but then a few years later she got us."

"Whoa." Iciss whispered to Alex.

"Yeah. Whoa."

"So you're my..big sister, technically? I mean since you are mom's daughter." Angel asked Kat.

"Yeah, I guess. You gotta understand, my parents are still my parents, but doesn't mean we're not family. I loved Evelyn."

"How long have you known? I mean did you--"

"I knew I was, adopted. Then I learned that she was my real mother a year or so ago. But, she was always like a mom to me anyway. So, after I thought about it, I figured, this really doesn't change anything, in the end."

"Thank you." Alexis spoke up. "You didn't let on that I was here. They thought you were me. Thanks." She smiled.

"No problem. So, what do we do now?"

"Hey, Alex, Baby, can I talk to you for a second?" Jack asked.

"What'd you call her?" Bobby sounded slightly agitated.

"Bobby." Alex and Kerrie both said at the same time, trying to keep Bobby in line.

Alex followed Jack upstairs. "What?" Bobby asked Kerrie, impatiently.

"Bobby she's an adult. And I see the way they look at each other. He loves her."

"He better not hurt her. I'll kill him."

"He won't. He'd kill himself first, Bobby." Jerry assured.

Alexis followed Jack upstairs. By the time she walked into his room, he was picking up his acoustic guitar. He turned around, and smiled. "Hey. I wrote something.You wanna hear?"

"By you? Of course."

"It's not that good, but I'm may be improvising, at parts, so, uh, yeah, I had quite the inspiration so..."

Jack started to play. He played a tune, sweet, entrancing, his fingers flowed over the strings and frets, and he sang:

"She's a new motivation, my cool inspiration, Traveled all over the nation just to stop right here,

so stop right there, lemme take in the sight of you, your pure ways and your kick-ass hair,

savor this moment forever, endeavor, this journey we're on, the road will be long,

but persevere, hang on for dear life, we're fallin!

they can't catch us now, can't knock us down,

they won't see us crawlin!

we'll make it through in the end,

surrounded and safe by our friends,

well I couldn't find the words to say,

exactly what I'm tryin to say,

and so to sum it all up

i'll sing it to you now

My heart is, falling, along with the rest of me,

I'm fallin for you, fallin for you,

you know it's true, I love you, I love you,

from the bottom of my heart,

well, I can't think of anything else that rhymes,

i'm too entranced by the beautiful girl that I have,

so close, but so high above me, all I'm sayin is just hear you me, I love you."

He stopped playing. "That's all I really have. Um.."

She went over to him and kissed him before he could say whatever it was he was going to. "I love you, Jack." She briefly separated, from his lips to say only those words, only to return to them anticipatingly. He was sitting on his bed, and so he pulled her over him, onto it, and furthered things. His hands slid up her back, her hands around his hair and face, when they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They stopped, Jack now on top of Alex, looking at Kerrie, surprised, yet with a hint of 'can't-you-see-we're-busy-here?'.

"Uh, guys?"

"Yeah?" Jack asked.

"Didn't you learn never to get it on with our door open?" Bobby said as he came up behind Kerrie.

"Good to know. While we're on the subject, would you mind?" Alex asked.

"You know I am trying to accept this."

"We know. Y--," she was going to stand, but realized she was still under Jack. "Jack, get off." She shoved Jack off of her onto her side.

"I was, thank you very much." He whispered.

"Shut up." She replied and went over to Bobby. "We know you're trying. And we appreciate it. Don't we, Jackie?"

"Yes, yes, we do. Thank you Bobby. But sometime in the near future I'd like to be able to have SEX with my girlfriend, thank you."

"You will. Patience, Baby." She smiled.

"Yeah I really can't right now. The moment was ruined. You took it and you killed it. Thanks a lot, Bobby."

"You're very welcome. Now are you gonna spend some quality time with your family and friends, goddamnit?"

"Ok, ok, c'mon, Jack." Alexis said, and she walked downstairs with Kerrie. Bobby attempted to follow, but was stopped by Jack.

"Bobby..."

Bobby turned to look at his brother.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Cracker Jack." Bobby said, and he hugged his baby brother. A truly sentimental moment. They didn't have many of those. "You keep her safe, now, ok? You're her number one man now. I'm steppin' aside, lettin' you take charge. Don't let me down. Don't let HER down."

"I already know all this, Bobby, and I promise, I promise you, her, AND myself, I won't. I love her, Bobby."

"Damn, I appreciate the love, here, boys," Alex said, almost up the stairs," but I can protect myself. I haven't proved it much, but, a lotta painful shit's come back from my past I didn't wanna keep. Damn, I hate doing that."

"Doin' what? Hey, were you listening in on our conversation?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, well bad habit. Anyway, I hate, crying, in front of people."

"Why's that?" Jack questioned.

"When you cry in front of people, what is the first thing they say? They say, 'Don't cry. It'll be okay.' But sometimes,you KNOW it's not gonna be okay. Nothing is okay, and it's not looking up. Sometimes when you cry, you just need a release, you just need to be let cry, you know? Plus, you get pity. And this is relevent especially if you've been arguing with a person. When you cry, you get pity. And pity is a poor substitute for actual forgiveness. But still, it feels good to know I'm cared about here. I don't get that a lot, you know?"

"Hey guys! I'm going home!" Jerry called upstairs. They yelled their goodbyes.

"Bye, Angel, Kat, Iciss. Nice meeting you, Kerrie."

"You, too. And thank you, again, for helping Janeane. God, thank you. You saved her life. She--" Kerrie voice slightly broke, but she pulled herself together. "She could have died, had you not been there."

"No problem. I had to do something. I got my own little girls, you know. God forbid anything happen to them. I'd die, inside. I couldn't just stand there."

She nodded, and let Jeremiah take his leave. Jeremiah got into his car, and as he was about to turn the key, a man appeared in the backseat and wrapped a cord around his throat.

"Where's the assassin?"

Jerry was scared enough, but knew not to show much of it. "Which fuckin' one?" He choked out, before the cord around his throat tightened. Then there was slightly heard the click of a handgun. The masked man froze, before turning his head, to see the barrel of a gun in Alex's hand. "Guessing you were never a Boy Scout. Release him, Fucker."

"What good is he to you?"

"Your life. He's family. My brother. Now let him go our your fucking brains will be splattered all over my brother's car. Brains are really hard to clean out of your car, and we' prefer not to have them professionally done. LET HIM GO."

So, the man did release Jerry, and got out of the car, Alex's gun still pointed at his head. Jeremiah coughed for quite a bit, and rubbed his throat. Jack came out of the house.

"What happened? Who's this?"

Alexis turned to look at him, and as she did, the man hit her over the head knocking her down, and knocking the gun out of her hand, and began running away.

"Alex!" Jack jogged over to her, and Jeremiah got out of the car.

He kneeled down next to Jack. "Is she okay?" He asked, his voice scratchy.

"I'm fine." Alex said, rubbing her head. "How are you doing?"

"I'll live. No permanent damage. Gotta find a way to explain to Camille, though. She won't like this."

"She'll be happier that I was here to save your ass, Jer." She scoffed outta laugh, as did Jerry.

So Jerry went home, his throat and voice going further back to normal as he drove. He got home, parked in his driveway, and went inside, only to be greeted by Amelia and Daniella, running up to him. "Daddy, Daddy!"

"Hey, baby girls. Where's your mom, huh?"

"In the kitchen. She's making dinner." Jeremiah entered the kitchen, Camille standing, chopping vegetables. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and sweetly kissed her neck. "Hey, Baby." She said. "How was your day?"

"Eventful. You remember Katrina. And you also remember what I told you about my mom having a kid before she adopted us..."

"No shit! Oh my God, Jeremiah! And you've known her all your life. Your sister?"

"Yeah! Wow, you're very intuitive. And it's sexy."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it'll have to wait til later, Baby. When we're alone." She kissed him, and got back to making dinner, when the phone rang. Daniella answered it. "Mercer residence. Oh, hi Uncle Angel! Daddy! It's Uncle Angel and he wants to talk to you!"

"Thank you, Sweetheart." He said, taking the phone from her, and kissing her head. "You remembered your phone manners. Good job." Daniella ran off to go play with her sister, while Jerry put the receiver to his ear. "Angel? Hey. No, nah, man, I'm fine. It was nothin'. Since when do you worry, or give a damn?"

"Don't underestimate me, Jerry. You are my brother. We gotta look out for each other."

"Damn, that sounds familiar. Where'd you hear that?"

"Shut up. I know. I was just checking in. Anyway, I'll let you go, man. Later."

"Yeah, love you too."

"Hah. Bye."

"Bye."

"How's your head?" Bobby asked Alex. They were all inside now, and Iciss had gotten two icepacks, whch they kept hand in the Mercer house. She offered one each to Kat and Alex. Katrina denied.

"No thanks. I'm tired. Just wanna go home. So, who's drivin' me?"

"I will." Angel volunteered.

"Can I get a ride, too?" Kerrie asked.

"Sure. Iciss, you wanna join?"

"Yeah." She handed an ice pack to Alex, tossed the other to Bobby, to put back in the freezer, which he did, and then followed Angel, Kerrie and Katrina out to Angel's car.

So, Bobby returned to the living room, and after an awkward silence, he spoke, and started for the stairs. "Alright. Feel free to get to bumpin'."

"Don't mind if we do." Jack said, grabbed Alex's hand, and they ran upstairs eagerly. Less than a second later, Bobby heard the door slam. He was about to turn on the TV, when the door opened again, and Alex came out, searching for something on the floor. "Damnit, Bobby! Where did you drop them?"

"Drop what?"

"Uh, let's review. You beat the shit outta my boyfriend, recovered condoms in the room, and, picked them up, I don't know, to...get a closer look?" He then heard Jack in the background. "He'd probably never seen them come that big."

"Hahah. Yeah." Then she spoke up. "Anyway. You dropped them somewhere out here. We need those."

"Baby, I found 'em." Jack said, to their relief. They were getting impatient and jumpy.

"Oh, never mind, Bobby. Later." She said quickly, followed by giggling, and another door slam.

"Get over it, Bobby. She's got her own life now. She's more responsible than you ever were." Bobby said quietly to himself, and turned on the television.

The next morning, Bobby came out of his room, heading towards the bathroom. The door was closed. He knocked. "Hurry up, Angel."

"Uh-unh." Iciss said, walking over to Bobby and the bathroom door. "I claimed it after him. I got dibs. I'm next. You can go after me."

"I don't think so. I was here first." At that point Angel was opening the door.

"Yeah, but I'm sleeping with him." Iciss said, smiled slyly, kissed Angel quickly, and took the bathroom, closing the door before Bobby could stop her. "I win."

But as the cliche goes, one door closes, another opens. Just then, Jack's bedroom door opened. A very satisfied Alex exited, kissed a shirtless Jack standing in the doorway, turned around, and smiled mischeviously at Angel and Bobby. They grinned at Jack, who shrugged, smiled back, and closed his door. Alex went over to them.

"Sleep well?" Bobby asked.

Alex was silent. She just smiled, and shook her head.


	11. Revelation

"Revelation"

(this chapter is short, but eventful, for the most part. you didn't see this coming. you really didn't.)

Angel was upstairs talking with Alex, whom he had stopped on her way to the bathroom.

"Hey, Alex. Can I talk to you?"

"Sure, man. What about?"

"Iciss. Man, I like her. She's, I dunno, really interesting. I think this may lead somewhere."

"Like...where? Like, dating, or...monogamy in general?"

"Uh, yeah, maybe. I dunno."

"What about you and Sofi? How was that working? Is that no more?"

"I don't think so, no, I think me and Sofi are done."

"You sure you wanna do that?"

Angel just shrugged, and shook his head unsurely.

"Okay, um, I can't help you out with that. I can give you sound advice, give you a good perspective, but only you can make your own decisions. Just glad you asked for my opinion." She smiled, silly. "I feel all special."

"No problem, and thanks."

"Anytime."

Angel went downstairs, and sat down, joining, uh, whoever was down there.

A few minutes later, Iciss went downstairs, Angel in the living room, with Jack and Katrina, who seemed to be spending more time there than usual, for obvious reasons. "Hi, everybody."

"Hey." Angel said, and followed her into the kitchen. "I don't know what the plans were for tonight, but Kat is staying over, meaning she takes the couch. And I'm only assuming that you'll be in my room."

"Uh, Angel, what did you, uh..."

"What?"

"Huh? Um..nevermind. Um, I gotta go make a phone call. Check in with my roomate. She hasn't seen me in two days, and she might worry."

"Okay." He said, and returned to his siblings in the living room. Iciss went to the phone, picked up the receiver, and dialed.

"It's me. Hi. Yeah. I got your page. I don't wanna do this no more. No, I, I don't think so. Okay, fine, I'll see you tonight. No, there's no one else. No. No one important. No, you're the only one. Yeah, Baby. Bye." She hung up.

Iciss, that night, went to a motel, where she and another man went inside. She walked in, and sat on the bed. The man sat down next to her, and then spread to lie down. Iciss turned around, and she her got on top of him, and well, worked her way down. Then she started to undo his belt and--

um..yeah...anyway...

Iciss had told the guys they might be gone all night, she was to visit a friend. She awokethe next morning. The man had left, but left something behind, on the nightstand next to Iciss. After he was gone, in a bit, Iciss awoke. She noticed the item on the nightstand, and sat up. She picked it up, and pulled off the cap. It was a syringe.

She came home, still a little high. Alex was awake, in the kitchen. She came out.

"Morning. Where were you? Friends?"

"Y-yeah. Hah. You're up early."

"Not too early, but yeah, I guess."

"K, I'm gonna head on up so--" Iciss started walking up the stairs, but Alex grabbed her arm.

"Iciss."

"What?" She went back to standing in front of Alex.

Alex turned Iciss's arm over, revealing the inside, opposite her elbow, to show little holes, little syringe insignia, the trademark of a hypodermic needle.

"Hey!" Iciss cried, pulling her arm away.

"Iciss! You're high. You've been shooting up. I know that look. I've HAD that look."

"You don't know anything."

"I can't believe this, Iciss. Of all people, you. Who's been supplying you."

"Just..no one...a guy..."

"Angel..."

"Don't tell him. Please."

"I'm not going to cover up for you."

"Then what kind of friend are you?"

"The kind who is loyal to her friends. Angel just happens to be one of them. And so are you. Which is why I'm offering you an opportunity."

"What?"

"First, come to terms. Tell us you have a problem. If you don't think you have a problem, you can't fix it. Then--"

"Rehab? You're gonna take me off this stuff?"

"If you want help, I'll provide it."

"What if I don't WANT help! Maybe I think I'm fine now. Maybe," Her voice got quieter. "Maybe I like this feeling."

Alex shook her head. "You don't want this."

"It feels good. I like this high, Alex. You have stress. I know a guy, he can take it all away."

"Stop! Just, stop! No! I had a problem, and yes, I knew mine was a problem, but it's over. I'm over it now. I don't need anything but my own will. I'm stronger than this. I thought you were, too. But you, you do this to yourself and you have no remorse. Do you even like Angel?"

"He was fun, sure. But everything's a doozy when you're high, isn't it, Alex?"

"Shut up." Alex said, her teeth clenched.

"Isn't it, Alex?" Iciss asked again.

"Shut up, shut up!" She screamed. "You've played me, my family. I want you out."

"Yeah, I'm leaving." She walked outside, but turned around. "You never know, I might change."

"Maybe."

"I might not, though."

"Only you can decide what you're gonna do about this. It's not my problem. Or whatever you wanna call it."

"Tell Angel, tell him..."

"The truth."

"Yeah. You do that. Until next time."

Alex only nodded. Iciss started walking. "Hey!" Iciss stopped, and turned. "Yeah?"

"Strike two."

Angel sat next to Alex, leaning, his elbows on his knees. "She never liked me."

"She, uh, she is...bad."

Angel couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "Nicely put, thank you."

"She's what we like to call 'crackwhore'." Bobby said.

"Thanks, Bobby."'

"Not a problem."

"I hope she gets help." Jack spoke up.

"Me too." Alex said. "But only Iciss can make that happen. She has to want to change."

"Does she? Do YOU think she does?" Kat asked.

"Somewhat. We were talking, it was like, talking to an enemy, and then a friend, all in one person. But, not now, no, she's gonna stay like that, I think." It was silent for a few moments, before Alex spoke. "I need something to drink. You guys want?"

"From here?" Bobby asked. "Nah. Maybe if we go down to the bar..."

"Only if they won't check my ID."

"You're kidding, right? C'mon."

"Actually, man, I don't feel like goin'." Angel said. The room was once again silent.

"Huh?" Jerry asked, confused. "You, not drinking?"

"Uh, I'm not feeling up to it, man. I'll just hang here, k?

"No problem, Angel. Well, everyone else is in, right?" Jack surveyed. The room agreed. "Ok. See you later, man."

"Yeah, later."

When he was alone, Angel went into the kitchen, picked up the phone, and dialed.

"Hey. Sofi. It's Angel. I wanna apologize."


	12. Somewhere Out There

"Somewhere Out There"

ok as of now my stories are gonna have song title titles. starting with an Our Lady Peace song.

The group had gone out to the bar, sans Angel. Kat had jumped over the bar, and poured them all shots. There were drinking games, naturally. And deja vu as Alex told Jack she could 'drink him under the table'. The boys just grinned widely. Boys will be boys. It had been a slow night, so not many were in the bar. After, they started back out to Bobby's car.

"I kinda wanna walk." Jack said. "I feel like I kinda need to unwind. I'll see you guys at home."

"Want me to join you?" Alex asked.

"Sure, baby. Come on." He outstretched his arm, which she put around her shoulders. She put her arm around his waist, and he kissed her. "I love you." He said as they were walking. Alex smiled, genuinely happy to have a guy like Jack. He would always protect her, never let anything hurt her, or at least die trying. Which is pretty damn close to what happened next. Two men came out as if from nowhere, blocking their way.

"Mercer?" said one man.

Jack stepped in front of Alex. "Who the hell wants to know?"

"Someone from your past. A while back, you made a very powerful man a very angry man. You got him in big trouble."

"I piss a lot of people off. Apparently the cute face isn't always enough. I'm gonna need you to elaborate."

"You may not remember him," said the second man, "but he's certainly not forgotten you. And he wants his revenge. He needs his payback." With that, the first man pulled out a gun. Jack froze. He was unarmed. Alex...would they get her too? Too many thoughts came to him to react. "RUN, Alex!" The man pulled the trigger, and Jack took a bullet to his right chest. He did all he could, and rushed the man with the gun. The second man started to go after him, and Alex jumped him. Jack was getting weak, losing blood, and to make things worse, he was then stabbed by the man, who had lost his gun, somewhere in the dark alley. He was taken to his knees, then fell forward onto the ground. The second man threw Alex off him, and they sparred briefly, before both men beat her to the ground. She had a busted lip, and was spitting blood. These were gonna leave bruises. That is, if they didn't kill her. But they beat her to the point where she had about passed out. Then one man, Jack didn't know which one, his vision was blurry, death was close, but one man went over to Jack, stabbed him, leaned down to his ear, and whispered, "And on the off-chance you live, you mess with us again, we're coming back for you, and the girl."

Alex fought with all she had to maintain consciousness, and crawled over to Jack, after the men had left them there to die.

"Jack. Jack..." Tears streamed down her face. "Jack, don't leave me, please. Stay with me. Oh, God, Jack, you gotta stay! Baby..."

Jack's eyes met hers for a few seconds, before they closed.

"Jack no! Jack!"

His eyes opened once more, and they were full of pain, exasperation, and love. Love. He didn't want to die, but he couldn't stay awake. He just wanted to rest for a bit, Alex in his arms. But that wasn't a choice. He could do that now, but that would be the end. But as they say, all good things must end, and what better way then now. A bittersweet last moment. He only wished he had something uplifting to say to her, to whisper to her before he died. But his eyes said it all, in every way better than he could have ever explained in words. It also took less energy and time, energy and time he used trying to stay with her. And he tried to stay with her, he did. He gasped and cried in pain, but she couldn't help him. "Jack! Please no please baby. Oh God please." But alas, his eyes closed once more. Alex froze. No...Why? She cried, sobbed, and finally, kissed Jack sweetly, and took off his cross necklace. She gripped it in her hand, until it hurt, until she thought she would bleed. That's what she wanted. She wanted to know she could. And she wanted to hold onto him, to Jack, with everything she had. She backed against a wall, and passed out. Was this the end? And for who?

short intermission to build up anticipation

feel free to go get some concessions

bathroom break, perhaps?

does this annoy you?

ok, then, now to get down to business

Alex opened her eyes, still stained with tears, and mascara. She instantly found it hard to breathe. Her eyes open wide, in that same way she did when the scarring trauma kicked in. Jack had that same look.

"JACK!" she yelled, and cried. She screamed, or at least in her brain, she really couldn't separate anything anymore. She crawled over to the spot where Jack had previously lie. They must've taken him. She lie in the spot where Jack had fallen, and tried to grip onto any part of him. She sobbed, in disbelief. She screamed. It was killing her, all this.

"No..Jack..." she neared closer to the ground. "My love..." she whispered to the empty space. She sobbed more, muffled screams escaping from this poor troubled girl. Life should not be so rough, nor so mean, to this beautiful girl, of only nineteen. But she didn't feel nineteen. Jack...Jack was too young too. Alex was falling apart, and yet, blankly, she stood. She started walking, never thinking about to where. But she knew where. She was going home.

"Where the hell are they?" Bobby was pacing now. PACING. Bobby doesn't pace. Kat actually pointed that out. But was also worried about her brother and his girlfriend.

"We should search for them. Go look."

"Where would they be?"

"I dunno. Check the bar again, uh, Jack's friends' places, uh, well, we can start with those, at least."

"I don't wanna hafta search the hospital for my family, damnit. They'll be fine, and then, I'll kick their asses for not calling."

"OK. Sounds like a plan. Uh, where's Angel?"

"Upstairs, asleep. He and Sofi did a lot of making up last night, you know."

"Ah, make-up sex. It's awesome. Hey, should we call YOUR girlfriend, have her help?"

"Kerrie? She's not my girlfriend."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"Shut up. YOU are annoying, you know that?"

"I AM your little sister, technically. That's my job. Now, let's go find our baby sister."

So they separated, Kat going one way, toward the bar, Bobby heading over to Jack friends'.

Alex just walked, blankly, numbly, nothing had effect anymore. And what did, the effect was pain, devastation. Alex walked in to the empty house. She went upstairs, collapsed on Jack's bed, and again, began to sob. She couldn't hardly breathe. But somehow, she pulled herself together, and went downstairs. For one moment her thoughts went to the rest of the family. She picked up the phone, and dialed. The ringing was like audio poison, passing so slow, she just wanted it all to stop. And it did. That is, the ringing stopped when Bobby answered. "Yeah. This is Bobby."

She managed to choke out a few gasp-like sounds, but nothing distinguishible as actual words. The only thing she could get out was a whisper, of the sweetest name to pass her lips, and ears, and run through her brain. "Jack..."

"Alex? Where the hell were you? You're home now? Good to know you didn't go and get yourself killed."

Alex anxiously sighed, inhaled quickly. "Jack..."

"What about Jack?"

"They took him, Bobby. He's supposed to be here, with me. That's how it was always supposed to go. Now I--" Her voice shattered off from there.

"Alex what's going on? What about Jack? Who took him, what?"

"Oh God.."

"Alex! Where is Jack? Tell me! Tell me where my brother is."

"HE'S DEAD, OK! THEY KILLED HIM!" And with that she dropped the phone, and collapsed on the ground. She screamed, in agonizing sorrow. Angel ran out of his room, downstairs, and sprinted over to Alex.

"What?"

Alex just kept on crying silently, breaking down.

"Alex!" Then he picked up the phone. "Bobby!"

"Oh God..I-I'm coming home. We've gotta work out all, the...details...and...call Kat..oh God..."

So Angel did, not hardly explaining anything to her, just telling her to get her ass down there. As he did, Alex ran. She ran outside, Angel following her after a few seconds. She ran outside, and collapsed on her knees in the snow. She cried out for Jack. But Jack never came. He couldn't. Not where he was. Angel was confused, and overwhelmed. What the hell happened? Was Jack really dead? He tried questioning Alex, but she didn't say anything. She was dead silent, that same traumatized face, once again, the one she shared with Jack. Angel was so confused, he just sat, blankly, next to Sofi on the couch. Not a word was spoken. Alex was still outside, until she ran past them back in, upstairs. They didn't bother trying with Alex. They would wait for Bobby and Kat and Jerry. Jerry arrived first, Kat had called him, then Kat, followed by Bobby behind her a few minutes after Jeremiah arrived. They all stood, looking at one another. "She ran upstairs a little bit ago." Angel started.

"C'mon." Sofi led the way. The five walked upstairs, and into Jack's room.

"Alex?" Bobby called. "Alex, where are you?"

They heard sniffling from Jack's closet. Angel slid the side door open, and there, in the corner, was Alex. She looked so fragile, so broken. Bobby and Jerry kneeled down by her.

"Alex..." Jerry said, softly. "Alex, what happened to Jack?"

She was silent. So was everyone else, already on edge.

"Alex, is he..." Jerry couldn't form the words to ask if his youngest brother was dead. "Did someone...is he dead?"

Alex said nothing, only opened her hand, showing them the necklace. She then buried her face in the sweater she was wearing. It was Jack's. Bobby looked away, wincing sorrowfully. Kat felt as if her very breath had been stolen. Angel's face went to cover up his face, and Sofi clung to his arm. Jerry went from kneeling, to sitting on the ground, his back to the wall. He ran his hand through his hair. Alex just observed. This was the only time she looked up at them, when they were all reacting to this small token, the sign of their lost brother, the only time they weren't looking at her. She pulled her knees even closer to her body, uneasy. The tears were coming less now. She was a bit relieved, yet distressed, maybe this meant something, that she didn't mourn anymore. But she would mourn for a while. Poor Jack Mercer. He was so young. So innocent. As someone once said, "Only the good die young." But how good is Jack? Bad(-ass) enough to dodge death?


	13. Hemmorhage

"Hemmorhage"

(In reference to the Fuel song. lyrics featured in this are from "Walking Dead" by Z-Trip f. Chester Bennington (from Linkin Park))

"How do WE KNOW he's dead?" Bobby asked his brothers, sister, and Sofi.

"I don't know--" Angel started, but was interrupted.

"Exactly. And until I know what went on, we can't assume anything. Alex," He said, going over to the helpless-looking young girl, putting his hands on her shoulders, "What happened?"

She was silent. "Alex, what happened out there?" His voice was raising now. "Alex! Alex tell me something!" He seemed stern, but looking at his face, you could tel it was full of fear. Alex started shaking, and, crying more, turned away, covering herself with her arms even more. "Oh God, Alex. Oh, Jesus, I'm sorry." He pulled her closer to him, and hugged her. "I just, I need to know what happened. I'm scared, Alex. I need my brother. Eventually, you know, you've gotta let us in."

She sniffled, and backed away from Bobby, resuming her position, not that she ever really moved much. She sat, leaning her head against the wall, and kept her knees close to her body. Bobby stood back up, turned to look at his family, and said, "C'mon. We can't force it out of her. Not right now. We'll, we'll have to wait."

They filed out of Jack's room, leaving Alex there. She breathed deeply, and squeeze her eyes shut. Tears flowed out the corners. "What id he do?" She whispered. "How could this possibly seem right? That he should be taken away from his life, his family. From me. This ISN'T right. I just, I just want Jack back. If I could get him back, I wouldn't question it I--...I would just accept it. But that can never happen, I guess, can it?" She took another deep breath, and stood up. At first her legs felt weak, and she had to lean against the wall briefly for support, then stood upright before walking out of Jack's room, and going downstairs. She stopped at the bottom, and everyone, all sitting in the living room, turned to look at her, eagerly.

"They came..out of nowhere..I-I don't know who they were. Just, they told him something about a guy..." She explained what happened as best she could. It was hard for the others to hear, and hard for her to recall it. "And I checked his pulse. I didn't find one. He wore this til the end. I wanted to keep it, to have something of his. Anyway, I came to and, he was gone. I figured maybe they took him. Clear evidence, proof of kill, I dunno." All the compsure she had while she was explaining, now she fell apart. "I just want him back." She started to crack, you could tell, and so she ran upstairs, into the bathroom, and they knew she was crying, and then heard her throw up. There was sience throughout the room, and tears, confusion, sorrow.

Upstairs Alex brushed her teeth. Then she turned on the water to its coldest, and splashed it on her face until she was almost numb, hands and face. Then she turned on the hot water in the shower, stripped off her clothing, hesitantly starting with Jack's black and grey sweater, and climbed in. She soaked under the showerhead and sobbed, tears running down her face, mixing with the water.

a month later

It had been awhile since they had lost Jack. Everyone had mourned, and still did, though slightly less. Alex still cried at night, sometimes. The police still couldn't prove he was dead, though. He was just another missing person, a poster amongst many other poor souls on a bulletin board at the police station. Everyone still mourned. Alex, Kat, the Mercers, and yes, the members of Spares, too. They WERE Jack's best friends, Deacon, Tyler, and Will. Once Deacon came over, to see how Alex was doing. He came in (he never knocked, he knew the family well, and he just wasn't the knocking type) and was greeted by Sofi.

"Hi Deacon," she said from the couch.

"Hey, Sofi, Angel. How is Alex?"

"Better than last month, by far. But still not too great. It's hard. On all of us." Angel said.

"Yeah. Don't I know," and with that Deacon went upstairs to see Alex. She was in Jack's room, wearing his sweater, strumming his guitar. She'd learned more by now. "Hey, Kid."

"Hey Deek."

"How you doin?"

She just shook her head and shrugged, looking down.

"Yeah. We've all taken this pretty hard, kid. He was my best friend since junior high. And our band's lead singer, and damn could he play guitar." He slightly, sadly smiled at the memory of his good friend. She smiled a little too, she hated to think of him as just a memory, but had no choice. But she did like when people talked about him, why they miss him, his good qualities.

"Alright. I'm gonna go. I'll see you later, Kid."

"Bye, Deek. And thanks."

"No problem, Alex."

He walked away from the doorway and to the stairs, when he heard something. A guitar. Alex wasn't too bad. She was no Jimi Hendrix, not exactly Carlos Santana, but she wasn't horrible. She started to sing:

"I'll take your love (take your love),

I'll take your hate (take your hate),

I'll take your desire,

I'll take the world, when it turns on you,

I'll set it on fire"

She was actually a pretty good singer. Better than anyone from the band, and she'd be better than hiring anyone else. Deek went back to Jack's doorway. "Do you want to be our lead singer?"

"What? But, that was Jack's job."

"But he can't do his job anymore. But you can. And it'll be better than having some stranger replace him. Trust me, this is truly sincere and not just a last attempt at making my band famous. This is for the sake of my friends, the guys, Jack, and you."

"I don't know. I'd feel like I was replacing him. But I'd only do this FOR HIM. I can write songs, too."

And so over the next few weeks, about a month or two, probably, they had performed locally. Fans of the band liked Alex, she wasn't Jack, though, which is fine. She didn't want to be. She had written a few songs, and all about Jack. She didn't really consider herself much a part of the band, and really didn't call herself lead singer. She couldn't help but think she wouldn't do this forever, that this was temporary, but how was she supposed to leave the guys hanging?

One night was especially bad. The guys, Mercers, that is, went out for drinks, and took Sofi, for some reason. Kat was wokrking her shift there, so they could guarantee a discount. Family discount. Yep, this came in handy. Alex wasn't feeling good, soon they would have a gig, opening for a semi-famous band called Vengeful Icis. Despite the difference in spelling, the 'gang' had made previous humorous references to this being an omen. Anyway, that evening, Alex was in bed, dreaming. Tears streamed out of her closed eyes, and she twitched a little, and shook a bit. She was sweating too. She woke up, wiped her eyes, and got out of bed. This was all too much to handle. Her mind just couldn't process it all anymore. She went to the fridge, pulled out a beer, opened it, took a drink, and grimaced in sadness. Then Alex went into the bathroom, opened the medicine cabinet, and pulled out sleeping pills. She poured out a handful into her palm. She took another drink and just stared at what she had in her hand. Hesitantly, she held her hand just above the bottle of pills, and tipped her hand, watching the pills fall back into it. She stepped back, until her back was against the wall, and slid down. She sat there on the floor, and wept. Alex may have been sitting there for a few minutes, maybe an hour, but eventually the front door opened. They were home.

"Alex. Alex!" Jerry called.

She couldn't respond. The only thing she could do was make a sort of gasping sound.

"Alex!" Bobby ran to her, his brothers behind him. He dropped to his knees next to her. Her face was stained with tears and smeared mascara. She breathed in short gasps, and made no eye contact, or any acknowledgement of the brothers' presence whatsoever. She just sat there, shivering. "Alex..." He brushed her hair out of her face, and her eyes finally met his. The second they did she broke down. She started sobbing. She fell into Bobby's arms, and she did a heartbreaking sort of scream-slash-groan, muffled by Bobby's shirt. He stroked her hair, and held her. She was like his baby sister. He didn't know what had happened, not totally, but he knew why. His baby brother. Jack. Now Jack was gone. Alex was alone. But she wasn't. Bobby was here. She had three brothers here with her. HER brothers, as faras anyone here was concerned. Bobby would try to be a better big brother to her, never to replace Jack, no one could, but more understanding. She would not go through this alone. Bobby felt this too. And it was time he made them pay for what they did. To Evelyn, to Jack, and to the rest of them. They wouldn't get away with this.


	14. Ghost of You

"Ghost of You"

(My Chemical Romance song. Very appropriate, i think. This chapter features Jimmy Eat World lyrics. Brace yourself, loves. You in for quite a shock. Don't worry, its a positive. Yes this is a very long freaking chapter. I was thinking of cutting it into two parts, but why? I send these out whenever I finish. And I'd already have it done, so, hang with me here. Even though it is about the size of my three shortest chapters put together, with a footnote, AND director's commentary. But it's a good chapter, eventful, so I doubt you're not gonna like it. You can call it, your Extra-Special-Edition-Twice-As-Long-Double-Episode-Chapter-Thing.)

That night. You know the one.

Jack's eyes opened. He winced in pain, and let out a groan of immense pain. 'Am I dead?' He wondered. 'Is this hell? Cuz, I'm pretty sure I don't belong here. I demand my ticket get rechecked. I demand a refund.' The severe pain hit him once more. 'I demand some pain killers. Damn.. So, AM I dead? No flames, no fury, no furbies. It must not be hell. Alex..' He spotted her. She didn't move. She was unconscious. 'Well, she's here, so it must be heaven. Wait, Jack, that would mean she was...no, I'm still alive.' He decided, since he was losing blood and energy still, he should find some help. And so he started attempting to crawl. He had just started, and 'Ah! Yeah, I'm alive. I'm in death pain, and I'm in a dark alley. Yeah, I'm still in Detroit. Beats being dead. I suppose.' And despite the pain, he crawled. It was probably one of the hardest things he'd ever done. Somewhere on a scale from one to withdrawal, this ranked pretty high. 'There's no way I should be alive.' Every few movements he'd have to stop, let out a cry of intense pain, god this hurt him. He had to keep going though. But soon he neared the sidewalk, where a couple was walking not even 100 feet away. "Help, please," He said, not even knowing if they had heard him. But when you see some white boy bleeding profusely in an alley, you can't really just stroll on by. Then the blood loss kicked in, and he lost consciousness. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to tell them about Alex.

Jack woke up in a hospital bed, with a killer pain in his chest and abdomen. He WAS stabbed twice and shot. Alex...where was she? Was she okay? Did she..did she think he was dead? Oh God, Alex. She had been through so much shit, could she handle this? He had to face it, she had never been, in the, what, two, three weeks he'd known her, she had never seemed the most emotionally stable. And how were Jeremiah and the family? How did they take all this? Jack wanted desperately to go home, but remembered the assassin's warning: If he returned, they would kill him AND Alex. He couldn't let anyone hurt her. But then, a nurse, maybe about 35, in colorful scrubs and a blonde ponytail entered the room. He had seen her before, but where?

"Oh my God! You're awake. You've been unconscious for four days. We didn't know if you would make it. You're lucky to be alive. Umm..we couldn't contact your family, because you had no ID."

"Um, when can I go? When did I get here? And how?"

"Oh, a young couple brought you in. They saw you, crawling out of an alleyway, and saw that you were hurt, and they called you an ambulance. You can go home as soon as we've made sure you're alright, and contacted family. Then you'll have to deal with police though."

Jack realized where he had seen her. "Oh my God, you're Kat's friend. I've seen you at the bar before. Um, maybe you would understand. No police. No contacting family. I need to get out of here."

"But--"

"C'm-here," He motioned for the woman to come closer, then lowered his voice. "I can't have police. No family either. I have to stay away. Do you understand?"

She seemed not to understand completely, but was now too intrigued to go. "Why not? What happened?" Jack knew this girl was like them, a former fuck-up. Maybe he could trust her.

"Some guys attacked me, me ALONE," he lied, but she got it. "They wrecked me, bad, as you can see."

"Yeah," she scoffed a small chuckle. "No shit."

"Anyway, they said they would kill...more people, if I lived and caused more trouble for them. A person who means a hell of a lot to me they said would die next time too. But this person thinks I'm dead. And I've gotta take care of this in my own way, ok? I've got some people who will protect her, and make it safe for me again. You understand, right, Libby?" He said, reading off her nametag.

"I understand. So, I gotta get you outta here?" She whispered.

Jack nodded. "That would help. Thanks."

"Yeah. I gotta plan. I know where all the cameras are that can see into this room. I can so come up with a plan. But it'll take a couple days. You got time?"

"Yeah. They think I'm dead. I got all the time in the world. She's in no danger."

"Okay. I'll work on something, and we'll get your ass outta this place. You can stay at my apartment. I'm pretty sure my couch has your name on it."

So for the next month, after he was done healing of course, Jack started trying to find out who sent his attackers. He had no clue. He remembered one man he may have contributed to the incarceration of, but that man was dead. Then he remembered something from that night.

They had asked for Mercer, but they had never asked a first name. What WAS Alex's last name? Had she ever told anyone it was Mercer? Or maybe they had just assumed? Jack thought, and figured this must be a mix-up. Not many would come after Jack, alone, his family maybe, but he knew people had come after Alex, this could be another friend of hers. Alex is a gender-neutral name, and anyone would assume her last name was Mercer.

"Oh my God," Jack said. "It was her they wanted all along."

But if news of them killing a male, or attempting to do so, was heard by their employer, they would come back. And word would most likely be heard. They would return, but that'd be okay, the brothers would work it out. But he'd have to warn them first. He had made Libby promise Kat would not find out. But word had to be sent to them. So eventually he told her to tell Kat, and Kat alone, who would tell the others. But not Alex. He wanted to go to her himself. He needed to see her.

So he told Libby to go down to the bar, and tell Kat. Which would be hard, she had just lost her little brother, and now she would find out all the mourning she did was for nothing. But he had no choice. He figured she would understand. After she would have a heart attack, that is.

After Kat was told, and days went by, he received word that all was clear and he could return home. Libby had gone out, and Jack was packing his things. He heard the door open, and Libby ran in. "You want it to be special when you go back right?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Jack then saw a small, yet significant, slip of paper held in front of his face. He smiled.

a few days before

Alex took a sip out of her water bottle, then set it aside, and strummed Jack's guitar. The sound was so beautiful. But the chords seemed so flat compared to hearing Jack play. 'Oh, God, Jackie,' Alex thought, looking at his picture on the nightstand. 'Baby I want you here. I want to hear you play. I wanna feel you kiss me. Just hold me. I just, I just want you in my arms.' Their show was soon, very soon, it was next week. It had been almost two months since she lost her boyfriend, the only man who ever loved her, the only man she ever loved. The only person she ever lost, and longed for.

Then Kat burst in through the door. She was out of breath, as if she had run there. But her face was incredibly pale, for such a tanned girl (she had moved to Florida when she got out of the service, only to later return to Michigan, and her tan stuck with her, surprisingly). Her auburn ponytail was frazzled.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, coming to the top of the stairs.

"N-nothing. Nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong." She actually managed to keep that sounding casual and non-chalant. Nicely done, Kat. "I just, need to talk to Bobby."

"I think he went to go visit Kerrie."

"Really?"

"No. I lied," And she wasn't being sarcastic, she REALLY DID lie. She felt like it.

"Oh. Where is he then?"

Alex went over and banged on the bathroom door. "Bobby! Kat needs to talk to you. Hurry the fuck up. This seems urgent."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," They heard the toilet flush, and Bobby exited, starting downstairs.

"Tell me you only took a piss," Alex said. "Cuz I didn't hear no sink, and I'm a little freaked out. You know what? I don't REALLY wanna know. Carry on." She said, and returned to Jack's room. She walked in, and had another overwhelming spell. The scent of Jack came to her, and brought tears to her eyes. She quickly wiped away the tears. This happened sometimes. She would flash back to when Jack was here,and it knocked the shit out of her. In a matter of speaking, it "hurt so good".

"What the hell?" Bobby yelled from downstairs. Alex once again ran to the stairs, about half way down.

"What is it?"

"Nothing!" Kat and Bobby both yelled.

"Obviously it IS something. What's going on?"

"It's...It's really nothing. Trust me, okay." Bobby assured her, in that calm, big brother Bobby way. But Alex looked him in the eye, and saw that his eyes nearly teared up, they were looking kinda crying-puffy-red, like he was trying to keep back a tear or two.

"A'ight. But you know how much I hate being outta the loop, Bobby. Ya gotta tell me if something's wrong."

Bobby gave her a slight nod, if you could even call it that, and Alex back upstairs. She grabbed a pack of Jack's cigs, and her lighter (she had her own, for reasons explained later), and climbed out his window, onto the roof. She sat there, and lit a cigarrette. She inhaled, then exhaled with a sigh.

"He's ALIVE!" Bobby yelled, or sort of did, trying not to attract Alex's attention again.

"Yes! He's staying with a friend's cousin. He's safe. But we can't tell Alex."

"Why not!"

"Because the people who tried to kill him, he thinks that maybe they fucked up. That maybe they had assumed HE was Alex. But that would mean, since apparently they referred to him as Mercer, that Alex had gone by Mercer before. Has she?"

"Uh, probably, if she had ever gotten mixed up with some people. Kinda an alias, I guess. I wouldn't be surprised."

"So he thinks maybe these guy'll come back. I mean, word gets back to the source of our problem, they'd most definitely send omeone back to get the job done. We gotta be careful, B. Any day now we could get jumped again. Especially me, seeing as how now they know it's a woman they want. We gotta stay on our toes until we take care-a this shit."

"Okay, alright, okay..." He sighed, distressed, and ran his hands through is hair. "But...my little brother...our little, our Cracker Jack...he's alive!"

"I know."

"This is great!"

"I know!"

"But why can't we tell Alex?"

"He wants to see her himself."

"Is that really the best idea?"

"Yes I think it is. It sounds good. She's taken this the hardest. She needs him now. Have you seen her? She's a wreck. Always wearing his clothes and stuff."

"Yeah. Okay then, we gotta tell Angel. He went out with Sofi."

"They serious?"

"Evidently. She's got him whipped or somethin', man. It ain't right."

"Maybe he loves her, Bobby. Ever think maybe that's why?"

"Yeah yeah. That's what they keep tellin' me."

So when Angel DID come back, Kat filled him in. His reaction wasn't far from Bobby's, and neither was Jeremiah's. So the next few days they were just a little on edge, waiting for an attack. They couldn't be caught with their heads up their asses now could they? Jerry had actually said so himself. Alex was upstairs playing guitar, practicing, trying to get her song just perfect before tomorrow's show. Was she ready for this? Could she do this? Was this right? Would it be like, replacing Jack? Or would he want her to do this. Well it was too late now. She had to do this, and she would. But she heard a knock on the door. A knock on the door was never good, not in this house.

"I'm not gettin' it." She yelled downstairs, and Angel did, his guns on hand. "And if they want to kill me, take a message, or tell them to come back after the concert. I've got important plans, but I'll be sure to pencil them in."

Angel grinned, and opened the door. "Can I help you?"

A gun was pointed in his face a second later. He just grinned again. "Man, did you come to the wrong house. And besides, what kinda assassin are you? You come armed with only one pistol, and alone? Man, that's pathetic." Bobby and Kat appeared over Angel's shoulders with their own guns pointed at the masked man, who ran to a car across the street, dodging bullets, and hid behind the car. He whistled, and three more gunmen popped up from behind that car and another near it. Well, yeah, you know how it goes, there's a big gun fight. Typical. But this time, Jack is NOT shot. Shocking, right? Mainly cuz he's not there. So it's gotta be REALLY hard to shoot someone who's MIA. That would take special powers. And the only special powers in this story are the ones that lie within Jack's beautiful beautiful hair. But I'm just the narrator, so I can't get freaky with any characters. Which sucks because, well, Jack is REALLY hot. That's why I live vicariously through Alex. Anyway, so they're all in the house, four shooting, Sofi ducking for cover, and Alex ran downstairs to help. She yelled to Sofi, who slid her two pistols, and positioned herself next to Jerry.

"Who are theses guys, Jer?"

"Not really sure!"

"Why are we always getting shot at!"

"They started it!"

"I'm going upstairs, to get a better shot."

"Be careful!"

So Alex ran upstairs, and took position in Evelyn's room. Then, a man burst in through the back. No one heard, except Sofi, who saw him going towards the living room, and possibly heading upstairs. She did something totally un-expected from Sofi. She was in the kitchen, so she came out from behind the man, and hit him over the head with a frying pan, and knocked him out.

"¡No coja con mí, pendejo!" ("Don't fuck with me, Asshole!)

Now let me take this opportunity to say: Go Sofi, it's your birthday, Gon' party like it's your birthday! But Bobby yelled to her, "Sofi, I need another gun! I'm out!" So she ran back in and passed him one closeby. But while she did that, another man came in, and she didn't hear, because passing the guns to Bobby she was shot at, and she took cover quickly. The man figured his men could take on the others, and so he snuck by and went upstairs. How he got up there unnoticed was very lucky on his part. But the descriptionthey had gotten of their target didn't mat anyone downstairs, and so he was sent to check the second floor. He did, and snuck behind Alex, who quickly rolled to the side and dodged him. But wouldn't you know it, she was outta ammo too. So she ran. By this time everyone downstairs was taken care of. Alex ran to the bathroom, but not INTO it, and slammed the door, then ran into Jack's room. The man ran to the bathroom door, and before he could do much of anything, Alex came up behind him and hit him over the head with one of Jack's guitars. The man went down, falling on the floor. Everyone heard, and ran upstairs, to see Alex standing over him with a guitar.

"Huh. So rock n' roll WILL save your soul. Well, not YOURS." She said to the man. "You're fuckin' lucky you didn't break this guitar. Eh, not by much. I have a feeling you're gonna die anyway." She put the guitar back. "Hey! Now tell whoever sent you that the job is done. You're gonna call and tell your boss I'm dead. Okay? I don't care who sent you, I'm dead-ass tired, stressed out, I got a concert to do tomorrow, and I need a cigarrette, which is weird, because I'm not a heavy smoker, and I only did it a couple-a times cuz I was stressed. So I'm gonna let Bobby here and the gang take care of you."

"You're a smoker?" Bobby asked. Alex just shrugged, and walked into Jack's room, and closed the door. Okay, seeing as how this is my story, I can do whatever I want. If I just wanna say, 'Bobby and them took care-a bid-ness', I can. Because right now my main focus is gonna go to Alex and Jack. So, um, yeah, Bobby and them took care-a bid'ness.

Alex woke up pretty late the next day. The show was today, and she was still pretty sleepy. Deek then burst into Jack's room. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bake-y! Mornin' Sunshine. Get up." He shoved her and shook her. She just pathetically moaned, then said, "Alex is not here at the moment, please leave a message after the beep."

"Okay, Alex, the concert--"

"I didn't hear a BEEP,"she said, lifting her arm up in objection, her face still in her pillow. They waited in silence for about ten seconds, when Alex finally said, "Beeeep."

Deek stood up, pulled back the covers to Jack's bed, grabbed Alex and rolled her off the side off the bed. She hit the floor with a thud. "Ow!" She exclaimed, aggravated. "The concert is in three hours. It's an hour's ride, and we've got to set up and everything, and you know how I panic..."

She rubbed her eyes and quickly stood, before pushing Deacon out of the room and closing the door. She quickly dressed in the outfit she had picked out for her performance: her favorite black platform-y type boots, giving her about another good 4 inches, making her about 6 feet tall, semi-baggy, more like just loose blue jeans (cutoffs, a chain, you know how it goes), and a black tee. Not flashy, yet cool. She grabbed Jack's red guitar, took a deep breath, and walked out, to see Deacon, leaning is back to the wall next to the door. "C'mon. Let's kill 'em." He said, and led Alex downstairs.

After the LONGEST-ASS drive EVER in the recorded history of man, "We're finally here!" Will said. "Did I forget to mention? Vengeful Icis cancelled. This is OUR concert! SURPRISE!"

"What the fuck?" Tyler yelled.

"Yep." Deek said. "Excited now?"

"YOU know? Why didn't you tell me!"

"Cuz we wanted it to be a surprise for Alex. And YOU cannot keep your mouth shut to save your life."

"Holy SHIT!" Ales yelled, grinning. "Our own show?" They went in, prepared, set up equipment, and just before the show was starting, Alex's happy look disappeared. "This is bigger than anything you guys ever did with Jack, isn't it?"

"Yeah. But we still have to do this.You're part of our band now. But we will never forget that Jack is an original Spare." Will said. "Hopefully no one else will forget that either. Now let's go out there, and rock and roll."

"Right on! C'mon guys!" As they were announced, Alex came out there jogging, waving. She was on an excitement high, she always wanted to be on stage. She always wanted to be a famous rock star. Now she was on stage. It wasn't huge, it's not like she was at an Aerosmith concert, this was just a concert for a band, who replaced another band. But still, this was awesome. They all entered charismatically, got stationed at their instruments, Alex center stage, and started playing. They started with The Spares' "World's Gonna End", then "Watch Your Back", and some others. But the best part was the finale. Alex's memorial to Jack. A song she wrote herself. She and the others switched to acoustic, and she said over the mic, "This is our last song. I wrote this for, someone who really meant a lot to me. To all of us. He was my life, my new life, and he was also the original lead singer of the Spares, some of you might not know that. So, Jack, this is for you. May angels lead you in." And she started to play, and sing, with Tyler singing back-up:

There's no one in town that I know,

You gave us some place to go,

I never said Thank You for that,

I thought I might get one more chance,

What would you think of me now?

So lucky, so strong, so proud?

I never said thank you for that,

Now I never had a chance

May angels lead you in,

Hear you me, my friends,

On sleepless roads, the sleepless go,

May angels lead you in

So what would you think of me now?

So lucky, so strong, so proud,

I never said thank you for that,

Now I'll never have a chance,

May angels lead you in,

Hear you me my friends

On sleepless go, the sleepless go,

May Angels lead you in

(May angels lead you in,)

May angels lead you in,

(May angels lead you in,)

May angels lead you in

And if you were with me tonight,

I'd sing to you just one more time,

A song for a heart so big,

God wouldn't let it live,

May angels lead you in,

Hear you me my friends,

On sleepless roads the sleepless go,

May angels lead you in,

May angels lead you in,

Hear you me my friends,

On sleepless roads the sleepless go,

May angels lead you in,

May angels lead you in."

When she ended, tears streamed down her face. What was not realized by the others in the band is that someway through the song, Alex's eyes had never moved. She had spotted something. Her expression never changed either. She had locked eyes with a beautiful young man in the audience. Alex smiled, and walked offstage, followed by the band, after Deacon the Drummer thanked them for coming out. Backstage, Alex was...weird. She herself was confused, yet happy. "He's here."

"What?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know. Maybe, maybe he's alive. Maybe he's an angel. But he's here."

"Alex, you're not making any sense. Is this about Jack?"

Alex stood up, and started walking, but Will stopped her. "Alex..What?"

"I either wanna see him or prove to myself that he was never here. I can't go without knowing whether he's here." She looked in his eyes. "I know who I saw Will. You know, too." She ran out, and around, and into the crowd. She ran out to where she saw him, near the front, her eyes darting around. She didn't see him anywhere. The Spares had run after her, and by the time they got to her, she had fallen down in a squat position, her hands covering her head. They stopped dead in heir tracks when they saw a hand reach out to her. She looked up, and grabbed the generous hand. He brought her to her feet, and brought her into his arms. They finally separated, slightly, their foreheads resting against the other's.

"You still have it." He said softly, touching his necklace.

"I always kept it with me."

"I thought I lost it."

"I thought I lost you."

They returned to their embrace. Jack closed his eyes, he had waited so long, now he had her back. This was where he was meant to be. This was home. With her. He belonged here. He would never leave her again.


	15. Hangovers and Baby B

"Hangovers and Baby B"

(I've tossed the song title-chapter title thing. Screw that. Um, no comment really this time. Another long-ass chapter. I didn't realize, so I apologize. Cliffhanger. dun Dun DUN. Yep. Cuz I'm cool like that.)

The Mercer's door opened, and Deacon came in. He held the door open, as Kat, Jeremiah, Sofi, Angel, and Bobby saw Jack carrying Alex. She was unconscious.

"Jesus. What happened?" Bobby asked.

"She fainted." Jack said, and he quickly took her upstairs, and layed her down on his bed. Then he came back downstairs. The room was silent. Jack smiled, and hugged Jerry, then the rest of his siblings. Sofi, too, just in the moment.

"I'm sorry. And thank you. I just...It's good to be home. It's...I...missed her so much. I'm gonna go back up there, in case she comes to." And he went back upstairs hastily, he wanted so badly to be with his girl. He sat on his bed, next to her. She was gorgeous, god was she beautiful. He leaned down, and kissed her lips sweetly. Amazingly cliche-rific, her eyelids twitched, and opened. She saw Jack, her face turned an even paler white, and her eyes squeezed shut, as if she were in pain, and she opened them, sat up and pulled Jack to her, and squeezed him tightly, as if Jack was dear life itself she was clinging to. And in a way, he was. He was her life, like she had said. Those months without him were empty, she just felt like a shell of what once was. But that didn't matter now, what mattered was this: Jack was back. They were together once more. This was where they both belonged. She had never felt this way about anyone before. When they separated from the embrace, they shared a much too long awaited kiss. She kissed him hungrily, and he kissed back, once again pouring all their emotion, longing, joy, sadness, frustration, no matter what it had been before, it was now fueling the desire, into this kiss, as if it had been the way they had chosen to go at the end of the world, contributing all they had into this one glorious moment. But this time, there was no one to interrupt them. And so they continued, Jack laying her down on his bed, kissing her neck, which made her giggle while her hands were going toward his belt, then up his shirt, feeling his skin, then around to his back, slowing pushing up his shirt, before she took it off. She kissed his chest, the tattoos she loved so much. His hands went up her shirt as well, and, needless to say, shortly her shirt was eliminated from the process, too. She brought her hands further down, and undid his belt, then his pants. She lovingly, happily, and excitedly grinned at Jack, who smiled as well. The whole night they stayed in that room, carressing, touching, kissing the body and soul that had been too far away for far too long. Hair and bed sheets were grasped, and ruffled. This was not just sex, lust, no, this was love, in its truest form. Ecstatically passionate love. This night seemed to last an eternity, isolated, private, alone. But there were never alone. They had each other, tonight and forever.

Bobby stood up from the couch. "I'm not gonna sit here all night listening to them screwin' around. I'm outta here."

"Where you goin', Bobby?" Angel asked. Bobby picked up the phone, and motioned with it to Angel. He dialed, and a few seconds later. "Kerrie. Hey. Did you wanna get together tonight?" Sofi and Jerry snickered. "Okay. Yeah. No problem. Be right there." He hung up. "I'm gonna go pick up Kerrie from work. See you guys later."

"Later, Casanova." Kat called out as Bobby left. "So...you guys wanna go down to the bar, play some drinking games or something?"

"Sounds like fun. Why not?" Angel said. They grabbed their jackets, and soon were down at Kat and Angel's second home. Kat ran, jumped, and slid over the counter. "GOD I love doing that!"

Bobby and Kerrie were in his car. She hadn't seen him for a while. She missed him, she guessed. But she only just wanted to hang out, have a little fun, nothing serious. She knew he wanted the same. This wasn't a commitment, this was two flirty-friendly-type people who were free to have 'relations' without any new strings that may come attached with others. They had sex, and they enjoyed it. But there was no talk of future. But the thought of it, was inevitable. Both of them knew this couldn't be possible, not for too long, and knew they, deep down, might be the one with a problem with it. "So. Where we going?" Kerrie asked.

"Anywhere you want. The usual, or..."

"Your house?"

"What?"

"Your place. Is everyone gone?"

"I wouldn't know. Alex and Jack definitely are." Bobby had already told Kerrie about Jack, the first night he had seen her since he learned the truth about Jack's 'death'. One night he just felt like he needed to drown his sorrows in Kerrie-sex. Tonight, he just needed a place to go. He felt restless. So he thought he'd hang with Kerrie. She always made him feel better. And no matter what he sometimes got himself to tell her, she never thought of him as any less of a man.

"Hmm...catching up? The horizontal kind, I mean."

"Yeah. Don't remind me. So, you really wanna come to MY house?"

"Yeah, I do. I wanna see the inside Baby B's bedroom."

"Baby B? Is THAT my name now?" He laughed a little.

"Yes. I think its very cute. It was the first thing that came to mind, and I like the sound of it."

"You bewilder me sometimes." He was looking at her now, she realized. "You really do."

"What can I say? I'm cool like that." Her smile faded, slightly. "Guess what? My sister's back in town. She's really better off now. She's taking Janeane."

"Oh my God. Well, is this a good thing?"

"I guess. I dunno. At first I really didn't know if I could take care of a little girl, but she's my niece. But I guess Allison is fit to take care of her. No biggie. I'm fine. I'm fine...Baby B." She said quietly, looking away, snickering.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious."

"C'mon. Hilarious is never what you thought of me as. I am DEAD SEXY. You know you want me."

"You are, and I do." He smiled widely at her. Bobby pulled out his cell phone, and dialed home. No one answered. "Only Jack and Alex are there. Let's go to my house."

"Yay. Cuz you're looking very hot, and I wanna bang you."

"Gee. thanks."

One more door they burst through, making out, naturally. First in the doorway, Kerrie gripping Bobby's collar, while his hand went up her thigh. They made their way, lips never parting, to the living room, and Kerrie pushed Bobby down on the couch. His eyes widened. This girl was amazing. She always suprised him, and she wanted him. She wasn't like other girls. She lay partly on, partly next to Bobby on the couch. They kissed, slowly, and their hands teased. They went, of course, belt-level. But tonight, it was different, somehow. "Do you wanna go upstairs?" Bobby asked, quietly. Kerrie took a second to actually think about it, then nodded, and kissed him, just once, both their eyes open. She took his hand, and led him upstairs, closing Bobby's bedroom door behind them.

Yeah, so, there was some major sexage that night in the Mercer house. ; )

So, out of all the people in this house, four will wake up really pleased, and the other four will wake up hungover.

Alex woke up, in the arms of her man, her hero, her uber-hottie-rocker-sex-god, and she smiled. She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him, dressed, and went downstairs. Angel, Sofi, Jerry, and Kat were around the table, drinking coffee, looking pathetic and migraine-y. "You guys look like shit."

Angel's head was resting on the table, and Kat had half her face covered with her hand. Jerry had his chin rested on his hand, looking miserable, and Sofi's head fell, and plopped down on the table surface. She let out a pathetic muffled, "ow", and Alex just couldn't help but giggle a little bit. It was a humorous sight. "So you guys did some pretty heavy drinking, I see. How fucked up is Bobby this morning?"

Jerry managed to mutter, "Bobby...Kerrie..."

"He's with Kerrie? Cool. Bobby needs to get laid, every once in a while." The room was silent for a moment. "It's good to have him back."

"Bobby?" Kat looked up. "Oh, you mean Jack. Yeah. It is. You seem...normal, oddly. I mean your boyfriend's practically back from the dead."

"Well, of course it's a little weird, but, this was all I ever wanted, for the past two months, I just wanted a way to get him back. No one else gets their loved one back. I am...blessed." By this time, Jack had came downstairs, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on her shoulder, after kissing her neck sweetly. "In the beginning, I told myself, God, whoever, that if there was any way at all he could come back, I wouldn't question it too much. I would just accept it as it is. That would be good enough for me. Now, everything can go back to somewhat normal."

"Mmm..." Angel grunted, his head still on the table. "Too much speak-y."

Alex led Jack into the living room, sat down on the couch, and had him sit down next to her. "I missed you, so much, I just..." She looked down, then back up at Jack, whose eyes got that look, where he looks as if he's going to cry, but he's happy, and so he pulled her into him. "Baby, I'll never leave you again. I promise. I love you, Alex. You are my world, now."

"I know. I love you, Jack."

He pulled away from the hug. "And, I wanna ask you to be an official Spare."

"Awesome! Yes I will definitely! Wait, what would I do?"

"Lead vocals with me, and guitar. Or bass. That's the beauty of it, you're interchangable."

"Righteous. I'm in a band. I always wanted to be in a band. Hey, um, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I felt like, I was kind of taking your place. But I love that feeling, being on stage. You'll love it."

"No, baby, don't be sorry. You stepped up, you helped out the guys. I am only grateful." He said, and he kissed her. She tasted amazing. Every kiss left a satisfying, yet addictive feeling inside him. A feeling he loved, along with everything else about her. When they were apart, he found himself imagining her smiling face, her entrancing kiss.

"Mm..mm..we should wake up Bobby." She said, in between kisses.

"Eh...why? Aren't we...having fun?"

"Yeah but we agreed we would have a girl's day today, so me and Sofi and Kat and Camille are gonna go shopping, let you boys hang for a while, no girlfriends, wives, sisters. You guys get to have fun. Now, I'm gonna go wake up Bobby, I'll be right back." Alex got up and started to walk to the stairs, but Jack walked up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, walking behind her, kissing her neck. "You know," she giggled, "this will be difficult once we get to the stairs."

"Mmm...I've done difficult...we can make do. Just...do your thang." So somewhat oddly, they made their way upstairs, and Alex knocked on Bobby's door. No answer. So they went in. "Holy crap." Alex said, backing out of Bobby's room, Jack still attached. "Hehe." The both kinda chuckled. Bobby slowly opened his eyes, then they widened. "What the hell are you guys doin' in here?"

"We're not. See?" They had backed out, so now they were in the hall. "Hi Kerrie." Jack waved, quickly. She waved back, after she had made sure the blanket was still covering all that.

"Hey Kerrie, all us Mercer-like girls are going out shopping and stuff, letting the boys do their guy thang. Wanna join? We'd love it if you did. You'd have so much fun." Alex said

"Uh, sure. Why not?"

"Cool. Um, we'll let you guys dress and whatnot, and let the others downstairs kinda sober up. Hangovers all around down there, it wasn't pretty. They should be fine soon though. Anyway, sorry." Alex said, closing the door.

So, Camille dropped by (the girls had a sitter), and after Jerry apologized once more, and she insisted she understood (isn't she great?), they five girls left, and left the guys there. Of course, after romantic goodbye kisses between Sofi and Angel, Alex and Jack, Jerry and Camille, and yes, even Kerrie and Bobby. Kat threw her arms in the air, then just shook her head, and waited somewhat impatiently for the others. So they left, went to the mall. They shopped around, and found this really cool clothing store. So, of course, you hafta try a lotta stuff on. So all of them, in a row, are in the changing stalls.

"Ugh! I don't even know how to get this on. Sofi didn't you want it too?"

"Yeah hand it to me, Camille."

"So, Alex, good to have Jack back."

"Well, yeah, of course, Kat. I missed him so much, so, last night," she giggled, "we did a lot of catching up."

"Yeah we heard." Sofi stuck her head out from over the door of her station. "That's why we had to drink heavily. There was nothing else to do."

"Damn, I need a boyfriend. Yall lookin so sweet, kissin on your guys, and I seriously need to get laid." That was Kat. Kerrie laughed.

"I am happy I came."

"Me too. Hey what about you and Bobby?" Camille stuck her head out too, as well as all the others. "Are you guys getting serious?"

"Me and Bobby? No, well, I...I don't know. We just get together, hang out, and have sex."

"So, you guys like each other, talk to each other, have fun with each other, sleep with each other...Yeah, you're dating." Alex said. "Congratulations." She went back into her stall. "Oh, I SO want this skirt."

"Since when do you wear a skirt?" Camille asked.

"Since I walked in, and said, 'Ooh! That's a cute skirt!'"

"So Jack, what DOES Alex think of that little tongue ring you got?" Bobby asked. They were sitting in the house, having a couple of beers, hanging.

"She loves my piercing, I love hers." His eyebrow raised.

"What piercing? She got a tongue ring?"

"For starters..."

So after they bought some awesome clothes, they went to get lunch. "I wonder what the guys are doing." Alex asked, looking at the people on the ice rink.

"Probably up to no good. You know Bobby." Sofi said, actually not hating on Bobby this time, just stating the obvious.

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, I know Bobby. I also know he likes Kerrie. He does, he knows he wants to actually be your boyfriend, Ker. And I know you like him. I can see it. No one knows Bobby better than me, not a person alive. Not since Evelyn." No one really talked about Evelyn much anymore. She certainly hadn't been forgotten, she couldn't be, just, now, she was more of a memory. "I miss her. She was amazing, with the boys. Actually I wouldn't know, I only ever saw her with Bobby. But I can just imagine..."

"Umm... Kerrie confuzzled." Kerrie said.

"Evelyn was the boys' mother," Camille said. "She was amazing. A real saint. She helped a LOT of kids in foster care find homes. The only ones she couldn't find a home for, were our boys. So she adopted them herself. Everyone loved her."

"Hey, we should go back. It's about five." Kat said.

"Okay, but we should definitely do this again." Sofi said.

"Well, yeah. Of course. We have to." Alex agreed, as they started back.

They got to the house, and the guys were still hanging out. "Have a good time?" Alex asked Jack, putting her hands on his waist, pulling him toward herself.

"Yes, we did, but I missed you."

"Really? I didn't miss you at all." She chuckled, and kissed Jack. Bobby and the guys stood not too far from them, trying to see what something. "What?" She asked. Jack whispered in her ear. She stuck out her tongue, to show that it was indeed pierced. Then Jack whispered in her ear again. She pulled her shirt up a bit to reveal a belly ring, and a black rose tattoo next to that, then showed them the tattoo on her lower back. She turned back to Jack. "You didn't tell them about the nipple ring, did you?" The guys' eyes early bulged out of their heads. "I'm kidding."

"Prove it." Angel said. That is, before Bobby smacked him upside the head.

"Actually we've decided to do this more often, because God knows we are the only escape from you crazy bitches."

"Did you just call your boyfriend and his brothers 'bitches'?" Jack asked.

"Yes. Yes I did." She said, nodding.

"Should that be turning me on?" He asked, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Hmm...interesting question. Hey I got some new clothes. Want me to try them on, so you can, take them off again?"

"Mmhmmm." Jack accepted the very appealing offer, so Alex grabbed her bag, and Jack's hand, and took off up the stairs.

Soon after Sofi and Angel were gone as well. Bobby went over to Kerrie. "So, have a nice time?"

"Oh, I had an awesome time. You know, I haven't had too much time for friends lately, with Janeane, she's been sick lately, and, you know, everything, so this was fun, hanging out with the girls. I'm glad we're going to do it again. They're really good, to talk to. Alex really loves Jack. You can see it, in her eyes, when she talks about him. She's absolutely crazy about him, Bobby."

"Yeah. I know. I've seen it too. I've come to terms with it, I think. When you lose someone, you start to reconsider how you go about your life, and how you went about it before. I'm actually okay with the fact that that young girl I watched over, and protected, and pretty much kept alive, is banging my stupid-ass fairy of a little brother." Kerrie laughed. "You can't make gay jokes anymore, you know. Cuz he's gettin' some now. He's got proof."

"I know. I can try though."

So the girls made this an annual event. Every few weeks, get together, and hang out, no guys. "I wish I had gotten to meet Evelyn. She sounds extraordinary." Kerrie commented.

"She was," Camille said. "I loved her. She was like a mother."

"Me too. She WAS my real mother." Kat said.

"I did too." Alex said.

"So did I. She was the only Mercer who didn't treat me like I was worthless." Sofi said. "Angel, he, he was always too warped by his brother. I'm afraid he sometimes doesn't want me around. I know I'm not the most respectable girl, I've done some bad, stupid things, but I believe I have changed somewhat. I try to be a good girlfriend, I do. All I want is for a little respect. Is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's not." Alex said. "But Angel does love you. And he tries too. Just tell him how you feel, do what you do, Sofi, speak your piece. Make sure he listens to you. You two need to work some things out."

"This coming from the girl with the perfect relationship." Kerrie said.

"Jack and I aren't perfect. At least, I'm afraid we won't be. Not after this."

"What? What's wrong?" Kat asked, concerned.

"It's about our future. Does Jack want to get married? Does he want kids? Do I?"

"Cross that bridge when you get to it, Alex." Camille said.

"But..what if I'm there?"

"What are you talking about, Alex? I don't understand." Kat said.

"I do." Camille said. "Alex, are you pregnant?"


	16. Empty Apartment

"Empty Apartment"

(A Yellowcard song title. Mainly cuz no good titles come to mind, and it kinda fits.)

Alex remained non-chalant. "I might be. I'm not sure yet. I just wanna make sure this is what Jack wants. But hey, maybe I'm not...pregnant. Let's not jump to conclusions."

"But let's just say you are for a moment. Do you want a baby?" Kat asked.

"I like Camille's bridge theory. Let's find out first, okay? Until then, no making a big huge deal, and NO telling the guys, not even my suspicions, a'ight?"

So on the ride home, Camille asked, "Alex? Should we stop by somewhere, pick up a test? I think it would be best, to know as soon as possible."

"Yeah. Okay." So they stopped by a small store, Alex hesitant to go in. "Do you want me to go in with you, help?" Sofi asked. Alex nodded. Kat, Kerrie and Camille stayed in the car.

"Oh my God. You realize, Jack might be a father sometime in the near future? Does that sound just a little bit weird to anybody else?" Kat asked. She was freakin' out a little.

"Kat. Not until we know." Kerrie said, calmly. So a few minutes later, Sofi and Alex came back out. They drove home, awkwardly silent. They entered the house, and Alex was greeted by Jack. She slyly slipped the package to Camille, and then wrapped her arms around Jack. Camille slipped it to Kerrie as Jerry approached. 'Damn, what is this, Mission Impossible? Why do you pass it to ME!' But to make a not-so-long story a little more eventful, Alex slipped upstairs with all the girls following, God knows who had it now. "Who has it?" Sofi handed her the bag. "Thanks." She slipped into the bathroom, and came out a long minute later. They all looked like they were waiting to hear their sentence. "Stop that!" She whispered. "I can't HANDLE confrontation! Stop...gawking! I don't know yet. We have to wait like four minutes or whatever." They all sighed, distressed, anticipating.

"What's going on up there?" Bobby yelled up the stairs.

"NOTHING!" The entire population of the second floor exclaimed. Four awkward minutes passed, and everyone scrambled for the bathroom. Alex grabbed the test, then snatched up the box, then looked at the test, then looked at the box, then at the test, then at the box, lather, rinse, repeat. Then she stared wide-eyed at the girls.

"Pay up," Kerrie said, holding her hand out towards Kat. "She's preggers."

"Kerrie!" That was everyone.

"I'm kidding! I'm sorry! I apologize. I'm sorry...But ARE YOU!"

Alex nodded, her expression deer-in-headlights. "I'm nineteen years old, unmarried, and pregnant. If I knew any Catholic nuns, I might actually find a bright side to this. Too bad. Bummer." She walked out, looking phased. She stopped in the midst of the others, and looked down at her stomach, then back at them, before walking downstairs.

"Why are they spending so much time up there?" Angel wondered.

"I don't know, man." Jack said.

"You think something's up?" Jeremiah asked. Alex walked downstairs, looking extra pale.

"Hey..." Jack started. "Wow, you looked traumatized. Somethin' wrong, baby?"

"No, no, I'm fine." She said. She smiled, in the way that some people can tell that you're really not excitedly happy, you're just in a desperate attempt to lift your hopes a little, and she hugged Jack. Jack was still unsure, but he trusted Alex. So he whispered to her "You can tell me anything, but you don't have to tell me everything", kissed her head, and left it at that. She was glad to know that Jack could be so supportive, even without knowing what he was supporting. Anyway, after some chat, and pizza (yay pizza) Alex went to bed early. She hugged the girls, given none of them lived there, then she crashed. She lie there, in the dark, daydreaming, and soon drifted off to sleep. Downstairs, the eight of them talked.

"What was with you guys, earlier?" Bobby asked.

"Nothing. It was nothing." Sofi said.

"Girl stuff." Kat added. "Talk. You wouldn't understand."

"Well, maybe Jack can translate for us." Bobby, obviously

"Jack wouldn't get it either." Kerrie said.

"He might." Camille protested.

"But Alex will explain, and all in good time." Kat said.

Angel was totally lost. "I am totally lost." See?

"It's as if they're speaking some kind of anti-guy code." Jack was no different, neither was Jeremiah, who was silent. "I'm going to bed. This talk is making my brain hurt. 'Night, everyone." Jack went into his room, and layed down next to Alex, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"I love you." Alex whispered.

"I love you."

Days went by, and the secret ate away at the girls. Alex was a little paranoid, thinking maybe someone spilled. But eventually, she decided, today was the day Jack would find out. They were sitting in the living room with Bobby, Angel, Sofi, and Kat.

"Jack. I need to talk to you. Come upstairs with me?" Jack followed her upstairs, and into his room. He closed the door. Kat and Sofi looked at each other, then they tried to slip upstairs unconspicuously, and pressed their ears to the door. "What are we listening to?" Bobby whispered, startling Sofi. He and Angel also put their ears to the door.

"Jackie. Okay you know I hate to put you on the spot like this, but I really have to. Jack, down the road, is marrying me, having kids, is all this in your plan?"

"I suppose I can see my life going that direction. But I'm not planning anything, the future should be a surprise, no plan, just let life happen, and go with it. Why?"

"That's exactly the way I feel, you know that, just that, Jack," She sniffled, about to cry. "Surprise! Life is happening, Baby. It's happening out here, and its happening in here." She put her hands on her stomach. "I just...didn't know...how to tell you, baby. I'm pregnant." Bobby, Angel and Jack probably all about shit themselves right there. Jack looked like a Mack truck hit him, then he was trampled by a herd of sheep with ADD.

"Y-you're pregnant? I'm...gonna be a...father? Wha- Is this right? Are you sure? I-I-I..."

"Yeah. I found out a few days ago. I just wasn't sure how to tell you, Jack. I'm sorry."

"No! No no no no no no no, baby, don't, don't apologize. I...I'm...We're gonna have a baby! I'm gonna be a dad! This is..this is...wow! Holy shit! I, I just..." He had no idea of what to say, but he kissed her then. "I love you. I love you so much."

"I know. I love you. But, is this what you want? Are you sure?"

"Well, it's a little late to say no. Not that I don't, just..."

"It's a little weird."

"Really. But now that it's happened, I guess we embrace it."

"Yeah." She smiled. Jack hugged her, then dropped to his knees, hugging Alex's waist.

"Oh my God, Alex." He said quietly. "We're gonna have a baby."

She smiled, and wiped away tears from some overwhelming feeling inside. Bobby couldn't take it. He was shocked, scared, confused, and a little mad. "What the fuck?" He said, a little too loud. Alex reached for the door, not too easy with Jack attached at her waist, and opened it. Kat, Sofi, Bobby, and Angel all tumbled in. "Oof!" Angel fell on Sofi, who was tangled up under both him and Kat. Bobby stumbled out of the pile, and, "Wh--Bu--What the fuck?"

"I'm pregnant, Bobby."

"By WHO!" Angel yelled, still on the floor.

"Angel!" Sofi smacked him in the chest.

"Bobby, just promise me you won't kill Jack in his sleep." Alex said.

"Was that a joke? I really hope you weren't serious, but then again, that's not a funny joke. That is a very bad joke." Jack looked a little intimidated. Okay a LOT intimidated.

"No." Bobby said. "Not in his sleep. Right here right now." He stepped toward Jack, and Alex stepped between.

"Bobby! If this is anyone's fault it's mine! And don't act all holier-than-thou, like YOU are in any position to dish out punishment."

"I can't believe you Jack! She--you--kn--"

"Knocked me up? Sure if you wanna use that term." Alex said. "What's done is done here, you know. And I'm gonna make the best of it. WE, are." She grabbed Jack's hand. "Hopefully you guys will be supportive."

"Come on, Bobby,' Kat said, "we should go. Let's leave them be, now. Jack also just found out." The four walked out, Bobby hesitant. Jack and Alex collapsed in the bed. "Whoa." Jack said, on his back. Alex was on her side next to him. "Yup. Whoa." Jack shifted to his side, so he was facing Alex. "Don't you think this is kinda weird?"

"Jack I--"

"No, I mean, ever since Mom died, I been livin' in the same house, with two of my big brothers. I'm twenty-one, I've got a girl, and a baby on the way. Isn't it a little odd? Should we find our own place?"

"I suppose. I don't know, I kinda like it here, with family. You don't?"

"No, I like it. Just that, is there enough room here? When the baby comes, we should have our own place, where we won't disturb the others."

Alex smiled. "Look at us. I've been pregnant, probably a month, we're already planning. You're handling this well."

"Yeah, it won't actually kick in until later, when it'll wake me up in the middle of the night, I'll be sweating, and I'll start hypervenilating."

"Good to know. Should I have the paramedics on speed dial?"

"You're dating ME. You should be on a first name basis with them already. Sometimes I wonder, why am I always getting shot?"

"Luck of the draw. What I'm wondering is, how do you always manage to survive? You're like, the Mercer family kevlar. If you think about it, it's not a huge negative. Shows what you've been through. None of your brothers have been shot that much, or have been as close to death as you have. In ways, you're tougher than them. And you're still as compassionate and sensitive as you are. That's why I love you."

"I thought it was because I was incredibly sexy."

"That too." She giggled, and pulled Jack onto herself. Ah, more sexage. Or, make-outage. But that doesn't have the same kinda ring to it. Therefore, they had sex. -age. Weeks went by, and they talked more and more about getting their own place, and had been looking. They finally found a two bedroom apartment, affordable for the most part, but not a slum. Rare, especially in Detroit. Now, just to raise the rest of the money they'd need.

"Guess what?" Alex said, laying in bed with Jack one morning.

"What?" Jack said quietly.

"I have a savings account, and I haven't taken anything out of it for a long long time. I always saved, and I don't know why. But whatever I have, it gets us that much closer to our own place."

"And I have my share of concert money, and whatever I have saved. I wonder how much we have."

"Later on I'll go down to the bank, and check my account."

So that day, Alex did what she said she would. She walked to an ATM, and stuck in her card (Why not grab some cash, maybe stop off for coffee on the way home...) and checked her balance. Her eyes danced, and she smiled.

Alex burst in through the door. "Jackie!" A second later Jack was there. "What! Do we have enough!" Alex nodded, smiling. She jumped into Jack's arms, her legs aroud his waist, arms around his neck, and kissed him. He put her down. "Everybody! Guess what? We have enough for the apartment!"

"That's great." Angel said, coming out into the room with Sofi. "Congratulations." She said.

"Thanks. Jack, I'm gonna call that guy, tell him the deal is final, okay? We're gonna have our own place!"

So Jack talked over plans with his brother, until Alex came back in. She grinned, nodding.

Less than a week later, Jack and Alex were packing up their stuff. Everything was already taken care of, now they just had to move in. The family helped them move, so they had it done in no time. They had moved in all the boxes, the new furniture, everything, and now Jack stood in then doorway of what would be the baby's room. It was empty, and he could only imagine what would be in this room, over months, years. He was snapped out of it somewhat when Bobby put a hand on his shoulder, and Angel stood beside them, looking also into the room.

"Cracker Jack: a dad. Who in hell saw this coming?"

"I know I didn't." Angel said.

"Me neither." Jack said, as Alex showed up, putting her arm around Jack's waist. He put his arm over her shoulders, and smiled slightly. The rest showed up behind them.

"So," Kat spoke up, "this is the baby's room."

"Mmhmm." Alex replied, resting her head on Jack's chest.

"You know, if yall ever need ANYTHING," Jeremiah said, "We will be there to help out as much as we can. Me, Camille, all of us here. We love you guys."

"Love you too Jerry." Jack said, looking back at his brother, then at his entire family. "Thank you."

"So," Sofi said, "any name ideas yet?"

"Sofi, I'm hardly two months pregnant. But yeah, actually, we have." Alex smiled.

"As for guys' names, we like Matthew, Jack, Gabriel, Seth, and Andrew." Jack said.

"You had to slip your own name in there, huh?" Bobby smiled. So did Jack, as he continued.

"As for girls, we like Molly, Morgan, Tara, Adeline, and Evelyn, of course. And Dylan as a gender-neutral."

"If your...baby is gender-neutral?" Kat asked, confused. Camille had to smack her upside the head. "The name! Not the damn child."

"Oh. Sorry, today's a slow day. Anyway, I think we should go out for dinner. I'll pay." They started to walk down the hall, before Kat realized her big mistake. She quickly turned back. "For the pregnant woman. And her boyfriend. I'm not a fucking bank." She smiled, and the others groaned jokingly. "Stop whining. This is supposed to be a celebration."


	17. Be My Escape

"Be My Escape"

The Mercer party went out, on Kat, as she gave in eventually and payed for everyone's dinner. They only brought two cars, so Alex and Jack drove Camille and Jerry home, while the other five took another car. They pulled into the driveway.

"Did you guys want to come in?" Camille asked. "The kids would love to see you."

"Uh, yeah, yeah, sure." Jack said. They all got out of the car, and went inside.

"Uncle Jack! Alex!" The girls exclaimed, running over to them. Jack picked up Amelia, and Alex picked up Daniela. They greeted the girls, and talked with the family for a bit, before heading home. How cool was that? Home. Their own place. They entered, and stopped. They smiled.

"This is our place now." Jack said.

"I say we have a little housewarming fun."

"Here we go." Alex grabbed Jack, gently pushed him against the wall, and kissed him. "Jack likey. Very much." Jack switched places with her, so she was against the wall, and kissed her. He then picked her up, her legs around his waist, and they continued to make their way to the bedroom. After a little 'housewarming', they lie in bed. Jack's hand rested on Alex's stomach. His eyes had this look, as if he was in mid-day-dream, he was happy, and nervous. Alex put her hand on his, then moved it, putting his hand to her cheek. She smiled. The phone rang. "I'll get it." She stood up, pulled a sheet around herself, walked out into the living room, and answered the phone. "Hello? I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number. Well this is our new number, so maybe you're looking for a previous resident? No problem." She turned, and her foot got twisted in the sheet. She lost her balance, and fell. "Ah!"

"Alex?" Jack called, getting up, and slipping jeans on. "You okay?"

That's when Alex noticed the bleeding. "JACKIE!"

Jack ran out to her, and fell to his knees beside her. "What!"

"Jack." He saw now. She was bleeding. Down there. "Something's wrong Jack. This is not good! Jackie, ah..I need an ambulance." Jack grabbed the phone, and dialed. "My-My girlfriend! She's pregnant! She fell, and she's bleeding a lot. We need an ambulance!"

Jack sat in the waiting room with Jerry, Camille, and the girls. They sat on each side of him, Jerry's hand on Jack's shoulder, Camille's hand on his back. He was leaning forward, silent. Jerry leaned toward him.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Jack."

"I just wanna know what's going on. With my girlfriend, with my baby." He sighed. "Damnit."

Kat, Angel, Sofi, and Bobby came in. Camille stood up, and told them what she knew. "Jesus." Kat sighed.

"You don't know anything else?" Angel asked. Camille shook her head.

"Shit." Bobby stretched, his hands behind his head, distressed. He went over to Jack, who looked up at him, his face showing the pain he had been through, tear-stained sorrow revealing itself, no attempt at containing it anymore. Not even for his big brothers. Fuck it, he was sad. His brothers werent the best at emotion, but they would understand. They weren't totally stupid.

"You okay?" Bobby said, sitting down next to him, as Jeremiah had stood up and was now talking with the others.

"Bobby," He said, "All I want, is to know what's happening. I'm scared, Bobby. I love Alex. She's the only girl I've ever felt this way about. This love, it's lke, I kiss her, or, Im just AROUND her, and, and it's like everything is there, everything I ever wanted, right with me. I look at her, and--you know all those old song lyrics, and cheesy cliches about love--all those, you realize, were produced from this same feeling, and suddenly they don't seem so..ridiculous. You think: All you need IS love, Love WILL keep us together, Love...Love will set you free..." Jack could go on and on, but a doctor came into the room. "Jack Mercer?" Relief and stress both washed over him at the same time, and Jack stood up, anticipating, wondering what came next.

"Yes?" Everyone fell silent.

"Mr. Mercer, you were the father-to-be, I presume?"

"Were? Doctor..."

"Alex has had what is called an inevitable miscarriage. Her pregnancy terminated itself. In this case, the pregnancy is completely lost. I'm sorry." Jack felt as if his lungs had been ripped out from his chest, and he was beaten over the head with them, alternating. He felt a pang of sorrow, loss, empathy, and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. He pulled himself together quickly.

"Can I see her?"

"There's another thing you should know. Your girlfriend, as rare as this is, is no longer able to conceive children. My condolensces. But yes, you may see her."

Jack turned back to his family. "Lemme go back there alone right now."

The walk to the recovery room was...indescribable. All his feelings seemed to contradict themselves. He wanted to run to her, but was afraid to reach his destination. He feared his legs might give out from beneath him, and yet he almost, well, not WISHED, but almost anticipated it. The walk seemed to last a long time, yet before he knew it he was at her door. His thoughts raced through his brain, almost too fast to process them before it slipped past and he was clotheslined by another. As fast as his thoughts went, the rest of the world went slow. Not slow, but he was restless, anxious, and just felt impatient with the speed the world traveled. But eventually, he reached Alex's room. He stopped in the doorway, and leaned against it, observing. She wasn't looking at him, she seemed to just have spaced out. He walked in, and she turned her head to face him. "Jack."

"Alex. Are you okay?"

"I felt like someone just ripped out my lungs, and beat me over the head with them."

"No shit." He said, under his breath, unsure if she had heard him.

"But, it's like, I wasn't sure of this to start with. But, it grew on me. Not like I had a choice. But, after a bit, I accepted it. I got used to the fact that, I would be a mother. Shit, Jack, I'm only nineteen. I don't feel nineteen."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"That's just it. I'm not sure yet. I've decided, maybe kids are something I'd want. Someday. But now, I'm not ready again. Shit, oh God. Damn. Nevermind, someday isn't gonna happen. You heard the doctor."

"Yeah. But again, is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"I'm not sure...And BEING not sure, it makes me feel horrible, like, if it's a good thing, that might imply that I never wanted this baby. And I did. I was unsure, but I had EMBRACED it. I just..want things to go back to normal. Can we do that, Jack? Can life be normal? Not normal, but, you understand." She was stating that, not questioning. She knew he did understand. "I...want to go home."

"We both want normal. But, if things go back to normal...where is home?"

"Wherever we go, together."

"Are we going to run?"

"No, Jackie. Why rush. Life will go as fast as we do. As fast as we please."

"So...we're leaving? We're just gonna go."

"Until we figure things out, find out where home actually is. I think we need an escape, Jack."

"From what?"

"I don't know...we'll find out when we've left for a bit, when we don't have it anymore."

"As long as I don't get shot."

Alex smiled.

"So," Jack asked. "Where did you have in mind?"

"Ever been to Vegas, Jack?"

"No. Is that where we're going?"

"So many questions. We're in this together, don't ask me. We might, to answer your question. For starters."

"Starters?"

"When can I leave? Did they tell you?" She ignored his question.

"No. I should go ask." Speak of the devil, that's when a nurse walked in.

"Are you ready to see your family? Should I tell them to come in?"

"Um, I guess. Hey, do you know when I can leave here?"

"As soon as you like. You may feel tired for a day or two, but you can leave soon. I'll go tell your family you're ready to see them." The nurse left.

"What are we gonna say to them?" Jack asked.

"Yo, quizmaster! Chill. We'll just...Hey what do we do about the apartment?"

"See? Sometimes questions are inevitable."

"Shut up. Well, since we only need a one room place, what do we do with the other room? Should we move out, back into the old house, and when we come back we can stay? Then from there, we can find our own place. Sound good?"

"I guess."

"Okay. Gosh this is a lot of planning for something spontaneous."

The family filed in. They surrounded Alex's bed. "A little space, please. Respect the perimeter ." Alex spaced out her arms.

"So," Bobby spoke softly and gently to Alex, "how are you doing? Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I think so. Hey guys, we need to talk to you. You know, there's really no point to having a two bedroom apartment when we only need one. And we had one with you guys. So we thought, move out of the apartment, we could stay with you, until we find our own place."

"Sure." Bobby said.

Alex sat up. "To hell with this. I want out of here. I just, need clothes." So they got Alex out of the hospital, and home. Jack went over and got things squared away with the apartment business, then came back, to find Alex asleep on his bed. He layed next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, and soon was asleep as well. But he was awoken by Alex stumbling over things. "Alex." He sat up. It was dark, middle of the night. "What are you doing?"

"Let's go, Jack. Let's go now. Can we? We'll just go. Leave them a note, or email, or something. I think it's time we live for ourselves, by ourselves. At least for a little while."

"Me too. C'mon." Jack grabbed a bag, and packed his things, as did Alex. Jack wrote a note for the family, explaining why they had rushed off, and he hoped to God they would understand. He included the part about finding out exactly where home is, and finding what they're running away from once it's gone. They had nothing planned, and probably weren't doing the smartest thing, but...well...insert justifiable reason for running here. He left the note on the bedroom door, where they were bound to find it. Alex exited the room, carrying her guitar bag in one hand, and another bag over one shoulder. "You ready?" He asked quietly. She nodded. He picked up his bags as well, and with his free hand, took hers. She smiled slightly, and they walked out, starting something new. They hoped it was as right as it made them feel.

Angel woke up, and walked out of his room. "Bobby!" He called.

"Yo." Bobby's voice was coming from the bathroom. Hell no. Boy needs to learn to shut the damn door, I know. Angel sighed, and entered the bathroom. Something was missing here. He finally realized, where was Cracker Jack?

"Where's Cracker Jack?"

"Probably still asleep. Why?"

"I dunno. Just wondering." He started to walk out, but stopped. "And Bobby? A new concept:.." He shut the door. He started walking back to is room, when he noticed something on Jack's door. He looked at it. It said "Family" on it. Angel took it, got quickly dressed, and ran downstairs. "Hey guys! Everybody!" Then he realized that not everyone LIVED here, they just all hung out here. But who was here, came out. He started, but then stopped himself, and ran to the phone. He called Kat, and told her to come over on her break. Something inside him made him want the whole family there. Good thing Kerrie already WAS there, he wasn't sure if she had the right status yet to consider part of the inner circle. But she was there, so now he just had to call Jerry. As a time-saver, he figured he'd just put Jerry and Camille on speaker. When everyone was there, he read off the letter.

"So, they just left?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. Can't really blame them, too much. Can we?"

"No. Nah, I guess not. I don't know."

"So," Kat spoke up, "What now?"

Alex was driving Jack's car, the old, yet classic, mind you, '73 Buick convertible. Jack was fiddling with the radio dial. Jerry had told them multiple times to get a newer model, but they loved it. Will's friend Cameron loved to fix up old cars, and he didn't want this one, so Will had suggested Jack buy it. At first, he was unsure. He was having serious Crossroads-based doubts.But it was a kick-ass car, and it drove well. Alex, however, loved it the moment she saw it. Jack finally settled on a station playing Creed.

"Nice choice." Alex compliented.

"Thanks. I try."

"Wow. You are so lucky I'm past my radio-singing-along-to-ness habit."

"I wouldn't mind. I love your voice."

She sighed. "Thank God. I was having one of those urges to." She started to sing, like, really loud too. I mean, the girl was yelling. But she sounded pretty good regardless. Here:

"When you are with me, I'm FREE! I feel careless, I believe! Above all the other, we'll FLY! This brings tears, to my eyes, my sacrifice. I just want to say hello again. I just want to say hello again..." By the next time the chorus rolled around, Jack joined her, caught up in the moment. "When you are WITH ME, I'm FREE! I'm careless, I believe! Above all the others, we'll FLY! This brings tears, to my eyes, my sacrifice! My sacrifice."

"This is fun." Jack said, and he smiled at her. "So, where we goin'?"

"We, my darling, are going wherever we want. We're going to see some friends, too."

"Friends of yours? God help us."

She laughed, and accelerated.

Jack lit up a cigarrette, inhaled, and exhaled deeply. "Here we go."


	18. Dance, Dance

"Dance, Dance"

WILL'S POINT OF VIEW

I woke up, and rolled over. I was drinking last night. Not smart. Damn that Tyler. I got up, showered, brushed my teeth, and made some coffee. My head hurt, and I let it fall on the table. Thud. Ow. The phone rang. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed, muffled by my arms covering my head. But I did the only thing I could to make it stop. I had to answer it. "Hello?" I said pathetically."

"Will!" T'was Deacon.

"Shh...keep it down."

"Hungover?"

"Meh..."

"Alright. Well, this is big news."

"What?"

He sighed. "Where do I start? Well, Alex had an accident?"

"What?"

"She had a miscarriage, man. There's no baby."

"Shit. How are they?"

"Gone. They took off. They left the Mercers a note saying they needed time to get away. Some angsty shit."

"Holy shit. So they just left us hangin'?"

"Well, can we blame them? We don't know what they're going through."

"You're right, I guess. I just can't believe they just ran."

"Me neither. Hey I gotta go. Talk to you later."

"'kay, man, later."

I sighed. Jack and Alex had left? For how long? When are they coming back? So many questions. I figured I'd get details from the Mercers. Plus, I had a hangover. Therefore, go see Kat. She'd have some cure for this. I grabbed my jacket, and headed down to the bar. I sat down on a stool, and Deanna came over, and asked what she could get me. I said, "Kat." She wet over to Kat, and a second later Kat was in front of me.

"What can I getcha, Kid?"

"An explanation of what the hell's going on, and something for my hangover."

"Hmm...What were you drinking last night?"

I shrugged. "A little bit of brain damage. Some liver death."

"Ok. I can work with that." She mixed..something. I really didn't care. She set in down in front of me. "Careful. That's fast-acting shit."

"How fast?"

"Did you ever see the third Back to the Future? In the saloon?"

Might as well get it over with. "Down the hatch." I did a little cheers motion to her, and gulped down the shot. I made a sour wince, I guess. When I opened my eyes, Kat was in front of me with a bottle of water on the table in front of me. I grabbed it, and drank it thirstilly, trying to get the taste of whatever that concoction was out of my mouth. But surprisingly, my pain was almost gone. "Damn, woman!"

She nodded. "Anyway, you know Alex and Jack took off. They left a note for us. Saying how they weren't sure where home was anymore. It wasn't at the apartment, and now wasn't with Bobby and Angel. Something about finding out what they were running from once it was gone."

"But, I hadn't even heard about the baby."

"It happened right before they left. We forgot to call you guys. I'm sorry."

I sighed. "It's fine, I guess. But now any dreams they had of having kids is gone. If they had those dreams, that is. I don't know, they just didn't seem sure of this baby at first. But after they realized this was their baby, they had no problem with it."

"Yeah...what! What dream of...what?"

"They didn't tell you? Alex can't have kids anymore. Something happened. It's rare, but, in her case..."

"God people! Fill me in sometimes."

"Sorry."

It's fine, just..all this happening at once. Anything else? YOU pregnant?"

"Wha? Hell no."

"Sofi? Bobby?"

Kat laughed. "Yes, Bobby is pregnant? We're all very excited. He's glowing and everything."

"Twenty bucks says it's twins."

"Only twenty bucks?"

"What do you want me to wager? Sex?"

"See what you did there? You just slipped sex into the conversation."

I shrugged. "I'm a guy. That's what I do."

"Do you want to sleep with me?"

"What?" My eyes widened. C'mon Will. Play it cool. "Were you just wondering, or was that an offer?"

She looked at me, a slight satisfied look, then laughed. "Damnit. I have no comeback."

I laughed too. "I guess you'll just have to answer the question then." Damn I was doing good.

"Hmm...what was the question again?"

We took the back room. Fuck, I didn't even know the bar had a back room. No idea what is was for. It was like, a closet. There was a pay phone and a phone book in there. So it was practically a phone booth. Wait, no, this was a break room. It was bigger than it looked, I saw once my yes adjusted to the dark. There were some couches, a coffee maker, whatever you would find in your average break room. Why would there be a break room in a bar? Wasn't it practically a break room in itself? But whatever, it was more private than making out in front of a bunch of drunkards. God, she was pretty. I mean, really. And she was cool. An older woman, you could say, but not even thirty, so who cares? I liked this girl, she was confident, and fun. And an amazing kisser. Like, damn. NO, REALLY, LIKE, DAMN! We fell down onto one of the couches, her on top of me, and I pulled out her ponytail, letting her beautiful red hair hang. I smiled at her for a second, before kissing her again. She toyed with my belt. Oh my God, she was just teasing me now! I sat us up, and took off my shirt. We stood up, and I took off her shirt. So me, shirtless, her, tank top. We were continuing, when Deanna came in.

"Whoa. Sorry. Just, Kat, your shift's over. Thanks for the tips." She turned around, leaving.

"Yeah, thanks!" I called. "So, where were we?"

Kat smiled. That was a great day. Yes, Will got some. Kat got a good deal too. So when I went home, I had a smile on my face, a spring in my step, and a smile on my face. Did I say that already? Oh well, screw it. I got laid. Don't twist it, I like Kat. That's why we did this. I'm not a womanizer. I just like a girl, who likes me back. And after some awesome flirting, sex. Sex is good. Very good. She was good. It's all good. I'm not a sleazebag, but how can you have great sex and not tell a friend? Time to see Tyler.

JACK'S POINT OF VIEW

Alex and I got out of the Buick, and started walking toward the building. I stopped. "This is a stripclub. You brought your boyfriend, to a stripclub."

"Yeah well.."

"Why?"

"Because. I got an old friend here. A couple of 'em actually."

"How is it that so many of your friend work at a stripclub?" Then I got it. I gasped, my eyes wide. "No."

"Yep. I was a stripper. Actually no, I was a dancer. I left wearing the exact same clothes I had when first I came on stage."

"You didn't tell me."

"I didn't want to. Have I not shared enough of my past? Can't I just let it go? For once?"

"Yeah. That's fine. I know."

"I'm sorry. I just had a little moment. Just, weird being back here. Fuck, I need a cigarrette before I go in."

I handed her one, and she lit it, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "To hell with this, I'm goin' in." She started in, and I took the cig, took a puff myself, squashed it in the ashtray of the garbage can next to me, and followed her.

Dear sweet Jesus. By the first impression I got when I walked in, I was pretty sure I was going to hell. But it was nice, clean, had the right atmosphere, as far as stripclubs go. And I'm a Mercer. I would know stripclubs.

"Alex?" Said a voice to our left. It was a bartender. Black dude, in his late 20's, I'd guess. Dark hair, blonde soul patch. He came out from behind the bar, and came over to us.

"Greg. Hey, man. Long time no see." She hugged him. "Uh, Greg, this is my boyfriend, this is Jack. Jack, this is Greg, an old friend."

I shook Greg's hand. "So," he said, rubbing his hands together, "What could possibly make you bring your boyfriend to a stripclub? Especially one where you worked."

"We're on a little road trip. Taking time to see some sights, some friends, just do, whatever we feel we need to."

"Cool, cool. So what have you been up to?"

"Not much. Actually a lot. Met up with an old friend. Fell in love with his youngest brother. Some people tried to kill me, my boyfriend was shot. A another person tried to kill me. She ended up being a good friend. Found out she was a crackwhore. Some people tried to kill my boyfriend. Turns out they messed up, they really wanted me dead. Thought my boyfriend was dead for two months. He came back at our band's concert. I got pregnant. Had a miscarriage. Can't have any more kids. Ran way with my boyfriend, for no apparent reason. That's all."

Greg's eyebrows were raised to the point almost as if he was attempting to make them flee from his head. He finally spoke. "You have a band?"

We couldn't but laugh. "Where's Rey?"

"She's about to go on. Hey, we'd love to see you work the pole one more time."

"Ohhhh no. I'm way past that now. I do that again, Jack may have to knock some heads together."

"Jack gon' have to do wha?" I said.

"Then again, that might be worth seeing."

"Fine by me. Do it. Go on." I really didn't want her to. But by rules of the game, keep going til the other gives in. She knew the game too. Then again, it might be fun to watch.

"Well, I'll think I'll go see the other girls, maybe I'll make up my mind." She smirked. "Jackie, stay here and enjoy the show. And good to know it wouldn't make you feel bad if I did dance."

Alex walked into the back room, past some bouncers she talked to briefly. I sat down at the bar. Greg came up to me. "Idiot."

"Excuse me?" This guy hardly knew me. Now he was insulting me?

"No offense, man. But you're letting her go on? You were trying that one compromise thing, weren't you? Seeing if she'd give in."

"Yeah. But I'm not giving in either."

"So you're gonna let her dance?"

"If she does, she does. I'll know I could have stopped her, but didn't."

"I can see why she likes you. You're getting a drink, on the house."

"Thanks, man. So who is Rey?"

"An old friend of Alex's. She's comin' on stage as we speak." He set my drink in front of me. I turned in my barstool. Might as well enjoy the show, right?

Rey. Whoa. If I was single, damn. But I'm not, and let me say, I wouldn't have it any other way. That last part was true, but also a little bit in case Alex is secretly telepathic. I'm too young and too pretty to die. She left stage, and I turned back to the bar. Greg was standing right there. I nearly fell off my damn stool. "So," I said, "How good IS Alex?"

"Out of our whole 'alumni'," He used airquotes. I shit you not. Airquotes. "She's like, valedictorian." That time my stool ran out from under me, I swear it did. Cuz somehow my ass hit tacky stripclub floor carpeting. I pulled myself back on the stool. Greg pointed to over my shoulder and grinned. I swiveled in the stool, and 'bout had a heart attack. At least she looked sexy.


	19. Smells Like Teen Spirit

"Smells Like Teen Spirit"

I couldn't think of a good title, so when all else fails, why not Nirvana?

JACK'S POINT OF VIEW

There she was. But not my girlfriend. Someone else. A blonde. Huh? It was...wait wait wait. I'd know that body anywhere. What the hell? Why was Alex in a wig? Damn. She WAS good. We need one of those stripper poles in our bedroom. Wait, you think I'm serious? I'm just kidding. It WAS someone else. But Alex stormed back out, looking really devastated. She came back over to me, and straight into my arms, despite the fact I was still sitting down. I hugged her for a second.

"No dance?" I asked once we separated.

She shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

"Rey, her little brother..Carlos is gone."

"Oh God. What happened?"

"He's gone. She thinks it's her stepdad. That he took him. Damnit. Carlos is only 14 years old. He's like my own little brother."

"You gonna get angry?"

"I'm gonna get PISSED OFF."

"Me too. Shit, Only 14? And why does she think it was her stepfather?"

"Because that asshole is a drunk son of a bitch who always hit Rey and her mother. A real sexist bastard. Worst part is, he might try to make Carlos like him. I know this guy. He tried to hit me before. He nearly hauled off and smacked me."

"Shithead. We gotta help that kid."

"I know."

"What stopped him?"

"From hitting me?" She had a slightly offended look.

"No, I mean...You know what I mean."

"I got friends who got my back."

"I'd love to meet this crowd."

"You just might get to."

TYLER'S POINT OF VIEW

I can't tell Will. He was one of my best friends, sure, but would he understand? I wasn't sure. Deacon couldn't know. I'm almost positive there'd be some serious alienation after he heard. Who COULD I tell? A woman, definitely. Shit, my family is in North Dakota. And it can't be a close friend. Jack is surrounded by girls in his life. Who is there? Alex was gone. There was Kat, Sofi, Camille, and Kerrie. Eh, could Sofi keep a secret? I wasn't sure. I didn't want to risk it. Kerrie sounded nice. I knew her a little. I could get to know her better this way. I decided to go down to to the restaraunt where she worked, and seated myself at the counter. She saw me, and served me herself. "Hey, Tyler."

"Hey, Kerrie. Can I talk to you, next time you have time?"

"Sure. Something wrong?"

"Just, I can't really talk to the guys, and I need someone, preferably female, who I know well enough to talk to, but not a close friend. So I figured you might work."

"Thank you. I'm actually kind of flattered. And lucky you, my shift ends in a half hour. Come on, you wanna come back and see Janeane? She's leaving soon, you know. About a month or so."

"Aw, I'm so sorry. Really."

"Yeah. Anyway, a half hour, and my ears are yours." She got me some water, and I hung out, and anticipated her shift end. She came up behind me. "Done. C'mon, let's go." I drove us back to her apartment. I sat down on her couch. "You want a soda, Tyler?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." She brought us cokes, and I sat out on the couch, playing with Janeane. She could walk pretty well now. And she was so cute, with her blonde pigtails. I loved kids.

"Time for her nap." Janeane was picked up, and Kerrie put her in her crib, and returned to the living room, sitting in the chair adjacent to the couch. "So, what's up, Tyler?"

I sighed. "Wow. What's not up? Uh, I really only want to talk about just this one thing."

"Which is?"

"Well...

cheesy flashback sequence

-last concert, one month ago-

"Hi. I'm Henry. I'm Alicia's brother." Alicia was our band's manager. She was in charge of planning and budget and all that shit I didn't understand. We all shook his hand. "He's on break from college. He's my little brother. He wants to go through college then become a music producer." Alicia's seemed very proud of her little brother. I was always the same to my little brother and sisters. I was the second oldest of five. A big sister, then me, two more sisters, then a youngest brother. But that wasn't the point. The rest of them had gone to sound check, but Henry stopped me.

"Are you...?"

"Am I what?"

"Hey Ty! Comin'?" Will yelled from down the hall.

"Yeah, yeah, man, just gimme a second. Anyway, what?"

"N-nothing. You play guitar?"

"Yeah.." He was just trying to make conversation, I know it. No idea what he was hiding though.

"Can I ask you a favor? When you're not too busy, could you possibly show me some pointers? I'm still learning, and rather usuccessfully. I could pay you for lessons."

"Uh, sure. Will anytime work for you? We could start tonight, after the concert."

"Yeah, of course." He seemed ecstatic. He quickly and awkwardly hugged me. He WAS ecstatic. "I'm sorry, I'm just excited."

"No problem. I've been known to be unable to contain excitement myself. But I gotta go, I'll see you after the concert. Enjoy the show!"

Okay, so it's not really big enough to be considered a concert. It's a local show, but still, to us, big deal. It's kinda just a big basement. With screaming girls. Anyway, Henry joined the front row with the screaming girls. Lucky him. He seemed just as excited by the band, though. He was a fan. Go figure. He didn't seem to care too much about the ladies. Anyway, after the concert, we all went out for pizza. Alicia had a date, so w invited Henry to go with us. Deacon and Will picked up a bunch of groupies. 'Don't worry,' Deacon says. 'Does it LOOK like they eat?' Deacon was an idiot. He left with two. Damnit. Will got the others a cab, saying he wasn't interested all of a sudden, and I had plans with Henry, so some bleach-blonde hoes would really interfere with guitar lessons.

So we went back to my place (wow, I seriously should have worded that differently), and he used one of my guitars.

"Okay, so, let's start from the beginning. I doubt you need to, but it'd help me with this whole mentoring thing."

"Hehe okay. No problem."

"Okay, so first, strike the first string, that is E. Um, can you read staffs?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't care. I can't very well. It takes me a while, and I have to mark down the letter before I start. So, can you read tabs?"

"Uh, yeah. Kinda."

"Thank God. That's really all I have."

Anyway, it went like that for about a hour. Henry was really smart, for being like, 18. He graduated early, and had just started college. I liked this kid. He was cool. His cell phone rang. "I'm sorry. Excuse me for a second." He answered it, and after a bit of conversation. He hung up. "Hey, I'm sorry. I gotta go. Um, if we make this regular, I'd be more than willing to pay."

"No, no problem."

"Are you sure? Tell you what, inbetween classes I work at Diego's Pizza. I promise you, a MAJOR discount. And unlimited free breadsticks. And soda."

I laughed. "That's fine, Henry."

"Okay thanks again. I'm sorry, that was my friend, and we have to plan my boyfriend's birthday party." Boyfriend? Oh well. I'm not a homophobe. I'm a little surprised, sure, but really no problem. Henry was pretty much my friend now.

"Alright. See you later, Henry. We'll definitely do this again."

"Bye, Tyler." He let himself out. Whoa. Henry was gay. No, Tyler, don't just ASSUME he was just trying to get to you. Besides, he has a boyfriend. Gay people are monogamous too, ya know. Whatever. I was tired. It was time for bed.

end flashback

"So, what about it? Does him being gay bother you?"

"No, no, that's not it. That's not the end of it. I--" My phone rang. Deacon. Time for practice. "Sorry, Ker, gotta go. I still wanna talk to you later, though. Can this just be between you and me?"

"No problem, Ty."

"Oh my God, thank you." I kissed her cheek, and quickly left.

ANGEL'S POINT OF VIEW

Jack and Alex had left a day or two ago. I kind of missed my brother. After we came back to Detroit, I don't know, I guess we kinda wanted it to stay like this. You know. With family. Alex was an amazing girl, too. She was like my little sister. I knew they were okay, though. Bobby worried, I know he did, despite his stubbornness, and Jerry was a little unnerved by the way they just left, but I knew they could handle themselves. Okay so I WAS a little worried, but not nearly like them. I had a bigger concern. Some punks had been harassing Sofi outside her apartment building. They were dead. You do NOT mess with my girl. You WILL get WRECKED. Badly. I talked to Bobby.

"Bobby you been lookin' a little tensed up lately."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You need something to hit, don't you?"

"It would help."

"Some punks have been gettin' all up in my girl's face."

"Sofi? Who?"

"I dunno. But I'm gonna find out. Man, this is my girl."

"I know. You wanna hand?"

"If you want, yeah. My plan is, next time Sofi goes back to her apartment, we wait for 'em. Then pounce on the mothafuckers."

"All right. Sounds good. When do I get to kick ass?"

"We can go right now if you want."

"Hell yeah. Come on, little brother." He said, walking to the front hall. "Sofi. Come on. We're going to your apartment. On business."

Me and Bobby waited in the car. We had dropped Sofi off around the corner, then pulled up just a little down the street, close enough to hear those punks. The youngest was probably 17, the oldest, in his mid-to-late twenties, I'm guessing. A group of five. There was gonna be a fight. It almost didn't seem fair. To them. Almost. Sofi walked by our car, not even glancing at us.

"Way to go, Baby. Don't let them know you got back-up." Sofi walked by the group. A mix of english and spanish, sexist and suggestive statements were yelled out to her. She seemed hurt. Bastards. Sofi was scared. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Damn. I didn't know how bad it was. Those little fuckers. Bobby looked pissed, and uncomfortable just watching, and seeing Sofi look so hurt. Sofi quickly entered the building. I almost thought they would follow her. No wonder. It was because they were starting to. Bobby followed me as I walked over to them.

"Assholes!" I yelled as I punched one down. Bobby and I, needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, opened a serious can of whoop-ass on these little pricks. Two were on the ground, and we had five more at our fists. Two were on me, when Bobby yelled out. He had been pistol-whipped. Twice. Then he went down. So, let's review. My girlfriend is being harassed by a gang, pretty much, I'm fighting three or four dudes at once, and my only back up is unconscious. Damnit. That's...unfortunate. But I kept fighting. Fighting til I got hit. Over the head. Hard. Repetitively. We hadn't been prepared for that many to show up. Maybe we could handle five, but there were like eight or nine when I went down. Sofi. Would they follow her? Was she safe? Could she run, and make it back to my house, where all our guns can protect her? Guns, but no gunmen. She'd be alone. Could she keep herself safe? I wasn't sure. I hoped to God. If there was ever a time to pray, it was now. But not really, since I'm passing out, and all this is just narrative thoughts passing through my brain all at once, for dramatic purposes. Thus, good luck Sofi. I love you, and have faith in you. Because nobody puts Baby in the corner.


	20. Sugar, We're Goin' Down

"Sugar, We're Goin' Down"

(Fall Out Boy song. B/c my friend wants to read this asap and i need to come up with a title. lol)

ALEX'S POINT OF VIEW

"Where are we going?" Jack asked.

"To Carlos's house. See what exactly the situation is." So we got there, and, yes, technically broke in. But we weren't alone. Carlos's father was home, asleep in his recliner. I awoke him by pretty much smacking him. I didn't know he'd recognize me, or remember me. "Yo." I said casually, despite the fact I just bitch-slapped him. "Where is Carlos?" He didn't answer. I pulled him out of his chair, to show I ain't messin' with this dude. "Where!"

"None of your business. He's my son. Now get out of my house. Hey, I know you."

"Damn right you do. Now tell me where Carlos is. What did you do with him? Where is he? I heard you took him away. So why are you here now, but he isn't?"

"Carlos ran off."

"Why?"

"Because he hates me. Because he sides with his whore of a sister." He payed for that one. That was a mistake on his part.

"WHERE IS HE?"

"Off with his friends somewhere. I don't know. Something about his friends, and I think they're gangbangers. Something about rivals."

"A gang war?" Jack asked.

"It's a possibility." I told him. I turned back to Carlos's father. "Do you have any idea where they would be?"

"No. He has a girlfriend. Ask that little bitch." I slapped him again. Carlos was an okay kid, just with some bad influences. I'm sure his girlfriend couldn't be that bad. Plus I was a little caught in the moment. I really hated this guy. But he wasn't the threat, or the concern here. It was keeping Carlos safe that was important. I'll be damned if I let another person I love die.

KERRIE'S POINT OF VIEW

Tyler came back today. Something was up. We were still going over what had happened. I wasn't sure what was wrong, or if anything _was_ wrong, maybe he just had to deal with something, chat about it, no biggie. But anyway, he came back, and there was ANOTHER cheesy flashback. Oh, MY God. Who's in charge of these things! Oh well. It WAS a good story. And important. Really, props to the author. Anyway, now for the story. Where was I? Oh yes, flashback.

cheesy flashback sequence

TYLER'S POINT OF VIEW

My cell phone rang. I answered. Henry. He was, crying, blubbering, just blurting out things inaudible. No idea what he was talking about. He and I had been hanging out a lot lately, and learning he was gay, I didn't acknowledge it, I just, treated him like a person. No different if I was talking to, say, Will. So when he called, I told him to come right over, we'd talk then. So I amazingly opened the door (mainly cuz I saw him running up, and pretty much figured how long it would take) right as he walked in, and into my arms. He was like a little brother to me now, and I knew somethng was up. And when a brother needs a hug, give a brother a hug. Especially a kid as sensitive as Henry, and I could tell he was on the verge of a serious breakdown. He cried there for a second, me hoping he knew that I would not think any less of him as a man because of his crying. So when he had totally pulled himself together, he looked at me. Holy hell, he was bleeding. I got him cleaned up and asked what happened.

"Oh well let's see. First, my boyfriend breaks up with me. He's got himself someone new. A girl. But you know, that's not even the biggest problem. Yeah, it hurt. I loved him, and he tears out my heart, and just beats the crap out of it. Oh God, Tyler. Man, my parents kicked me out yesterday. I was staying at Ben's place. But since he kicked me out, I have no where, Tyler, no where. Ty, do you mind...?"

"Oh no man. Make yourself at home. Take my bed even. The couch is good for me. You look like you need a good night's sleep."

"Oh my God, man, you are a lifesaver. But THEN it gets worse."

"Yeah you wanna explain that busted lip to me man?"

"Hmm. Yeah. Ben shoved me, I punched him, he socked me back. I just left. I didn't need this. But some punks mugged me on my way over here. The whole 'fag' thing. My money's all gone, not that there was much, my dignity is pretty much self-explanatory, I mean look at me. My friends are limited to you and my sister, since everyone is on my boyfriend's side. And my sister is busy getting busy with one of her five or six boyfriends, contracting God knows what."

I had to laugh at that. I'm sorry, it was funny. And it got him to crack a smile, which made me feel better.

"Anyway. That's how I ended up here. And again, thank you man. I'm having a really freaking bad day. I am eternally grateful. And, incrediby tired."

"Yeah man just crash on my bed. Go for it. Like I said, I'll take the couch."

"Thanks." He walked into my room. Then I made myself a makeshift bed on my couch. When I walked in to get blankets from my bedroom closet, he was out cold. I crashed on my couch, and did the same. ZZZZzzzzzz...

When I woke up, I heard water running. Henry must have been in the shower. I took a carton of orange juice out of the fridge. Trying to cut back on alcoholic beverages. Wow, it had quite the kick to it. I grimaced, and Henry laughed at me. He was standing there in a towel. I gave a sarcastic smug smile.

"Hey, man, can I ask you a question?"

He got dressed.

"Man that shirt's got blood all on the front. Borrow one of mine." I went to my closet. "Here man." I pulled out a dark blue shirt, and tossed it to him.

"Hey, thanks. The god-ness that is Tyler Malcolm just grows and grows."

"I know. I'm amazing, aren't I?"

"You have no idea."

Somehow, and DO NOT ask how, but somehow Henry and I were now standing like, only a foot away from each other. Which is a lot when it's two dudes, one gay, and currently shirtless. It tends to get a little discomforting. But, trying to shake it off, I laughed, walked by, and put my hand on his shoulder, you know, playfully, not gayfully. But yet, he was SHIRTLESS. And I just kinda, stopped. Oh God. And this would be my fault. I would have started it all. And I fucking did. I kissed my friend, Henry. I stuck my tongue in his mouth, too. I freaking jumped him. Me, 22, him, 17 (yep, turns out he graduated early), both male. Life is funny that way. Haha. Yeah, that was not a sincere laugh. Quickly I pulled away from Henry.

"Oh Jesus." I ran my hand through my hair, and walked into my living room, pacing."Shit. Shit shit shit shit."

"Yeah. No shit." Henry said as he followed me, leaning on the doorframe between my bedroom and the rest of the apartment.

"But, I, and, you, and, I, huh...?"

"I didn't know you um, were, and you, for me. You know what? We need to speak clearly. Let's talk. First of all, I just broke up with my boyfriend. You can't just go making out with gay boys. I'm not even on the rebound yet. I mean, maybe tomorrow, but--"

"Okay wait! I don't, didn't mean to do that to you. I'm sorry. Very, very wrong. Um, not good. I should go. Um, I gotta...go."

end flashback, for now

SOFI'S POINT OF VIEW

Ugh, I hate those guys. I'm so glad Angel went to take care of them. And Bobby. I didn't expect that from him. At least I don't think so. I never really thought about it. I went to the window to see what was going on down there now, how bad those guys were getting their asses kicked. Shit. Bobby and Angel, they were on the ground. "Oh my God, Baby!" Where were the scumbags? Had they taken it a step up? Was it just worse now? How did they get past Angel and Bobby? What the hell do I do now? I heard footsteps clompering (is that even a word?) down the hallway, and yelling. Oh, God. They were coming for me. They were knocking on my door, saying things like "Hey, Baby. Wanna let us in? We can party." and "Shut up. We can't. You heard the boss." Shit. They banged on the door for about a minute, me just standing there, shaken. Trying to think of where to take my latin ass where I won't get raped OR kidnapped. I heard some voices from outside my door. "Fuck it, let's break it down." Ad so they tried. I ran. Out my window, onto my fire escape, and down, and down. I was still on my way down, when they appeared, heads protruding from my window. They had guns, but couldn't use them. Either way, there'd be a bullet, a fall, and my death. Just in different orders. And for some reason, I couldn't die. At least not yet. So they followed me. I reached the ground, and ran with all that I had. I jumped right over an unconscious Bobby, and kept going. Thank God I wasn't in heels. But the boots weren't great either. But when I had to, I could run. And I did. I ran for a while turning down alleys and not looking back, I didn't want to see how close they were. But I knew they were behind me. Soon they might get annoyed, and try to shoot me anyway. I hoped to God I could make it in time. I hoped to God I didn't stumble and fall. I hoped to God I'd live to see Angel again. And Bobby. As much as that son of a bitch annoyed me, he helped me, or tried to. I wanted a chance to thank him. Cuz I like to think I'm a bigger person than him. I know he's not a total dick, but sometimes he just won't shut up. And I wanted to see Alex, and Jack. Alex treated me like she needed my approval to become part of the family as well, like I was part of the family. She was like a sister to me. The closest thing I've had in years. The rest of my family is scattered across the country. But these people in Detroit, I knew they all cared about me in some way, and vice versa. I wanted to get married, or know if I'd ever have opportunity to. And children. Possibly. I don't know, I suppose. But for now, just to save my own life. That was my goal, and my plan. I ran and finally reached a very familiar spot. Only about a block, and I'd be at Angel's. I kept going, finally reached the house, and went inside. I figured I had about two minutes before they showed up. And I'd be waiting for them.

I searched frantically for guns. Which, I'm not surprised, was a search that didn't take me long. Soon I had a small armory right there on the coffee table. I've seen Bobby and Angel load guns enought times to know how to myself. _Mierda._ I heard shouting from outside. They were gonna try to get in. The first two tried breaking down the door. I had two guns in hand, and was scared to death. I didn't want to shoot anyone. But I could if I had to. Angel and Bobby would be back soon enough. They'd come to, and rush home. I could just hold these guys off. One came in, and I shot him in the leg. I figured they were only, what, five? I was wrong. Fucking seven or eight of them. I was pretty sure I would lose. But only one came in at first, and trying to fight him, he just made me mad. So I shot him. It was easier than I had expected it to be. But the fight went on, them firing 'warning' shots, me just firing. I don't remember what all happened, but, I do know, in the end, I did not prevail. I know they came in, and I was taken. I know there was a call, and a van. I know no one noticed, or cared, or was scared for their own lives, which is understandable. I know there was a note. I don't know if I screamed.


	21. character descriptions with spoilers

**_Character Descriptions_**  
ok i realized i havent given clear descriptions for my characters yet, so here they are. might clear up any mental imag of the character that my be inaccurate, but not necessary,i suppose

Alexis "Alex" : Last name N/A so far. white female. 19. height: 5'8-9"  
pale skin, dark brown hair, single blue streak near front. in love with Jack, naturally. shady past. old friend of Bobby Mercer. runaway, who Bobby took in. tought her a lot of what she knows bite-ya-in-the-ass kinda past with ppl. high school dropout, smart. parents were crack junkies. killed woman responsible for corrupting her parens minds, as well as acidentally killing the woman's husband, a bystander, possible ally. was raped at adolescent age. got pregnant with Jack's baby. miscarried after two months. unable to conceive any more children. former dancer. known to be violent when deeply emotionally pained. but its ok, shes on our side thumbs up

Iciss Wren: 25, white female. tan, dirty blonde. assassin. with morals. only goes after those who have reason to be punished. found out to be crackwhore after hooking up with Angel.

Katrina "Kat" Leto: 28. white female. bartender at local bar. redhead, tanned from 4 years spent living in Florida, before returning to Detroit two years ago. adopted by her parents. recently discovered her real mother was Evelyn, now refers to Mercers as family. ex-soldier as well.

Kerrie Brommen: 26. white female. waitress. medium length brown-red hair. has 2 sisters, one deceased, one MIA. niece, Janeane, 3, of whom she is the caretaker. semi-gf-type-person to Bobby

Deacon Frehy: drummer of Spares. 25 orange hair, orange soul patch. white male. met up with Jack after high school, working at a music store the other Spares spent a lot of there time at.

Will Bradley: 22, Spares bassist. black male. high-school friend of Jack's. only Spare that really gets along wth the Mercers.

Tyler Malcolm: 21, Spares guitarist. besides Jack, of course. has a secret. shh..dont tell anyone. high-school friend of Jack and Will.


	22. Can't Take It

"Can't Take It"

song by All-American Rejects

BOBBY

I never liked that Tyler. Now, was he going for my girl? No matter what we had said before, Kerrie was my girlfriend. Technically. And they had been spending lots of time together lately. Or at least more than usual. But I didn't have time to think about that right now. Angel and I were driving home, Angel's foot pressed down on the pedal. We figured Sofi is at least smart enough to know where she can go. So we practically flew onto the driveway, and ran out, and inside. While we were still in the car, I had looked at my little brother. He had this look in his eyes. Fear. An emotion our family has experienced plenty of times, despite our lack to admit it. Only when something really bad happened. Last year, Jack almost died. We were so scared. I hate even thinking about it. Those few moments, that was our worst fear, on the edge of becoming our worst memory. But we still have Jack. He survived. We didn't even know what's happening to Sofi. But I was worried. We weren't exactly friends, but she mattered to Angel, and that was good enough for me. What am I supposed to do, turn my back on her, on _him_? Never. We rushed in the back door. "Sofi?" I called out.

"Sofi! Baby! Shit!" Angel had his hand covering his face, in serious distress. Well no shit. Anyway, I found a note on the coffee table.

"Angel!" He rushed over.

"What?"

"A note:

'Prodigal sons, welcome to Hell. Karma has in fact been kind to you and yours, for she is a small price to pay for what you and your friends and family have done within their already criminal lives. You are infuriated, and would much like to murder more of my men, I know that. I know you all too well. I know you want the whore back. Well, maybe you can get her back. I haven't really decided whether I should test your worth and give you an opportunity to rescue her or not, or if I should just kill her. Or maybe my men would like a little fun with her. So many possibilities open to me. But you are under my command. I hold control over you, through your so-called, 'morals', and 'bonds'. But when I make my decision, or decide to take advantage of my new power, I will contact you. Until then, like I said, welcome to Hell, have a nice stay.'

Motherfucker!"

"No! Shit! Aaagh!" Angel was pissed. He had good reason to be. I was pissed too. "So, what, we just sit here and wait for a goddamn phone call!"

"Apparently." Someone had to keep calm, for the most part. It was me, I guess. I punched the wall. Okay, so I wasn't calm, but I was doing better than Angel.

TYLER

As I walked out of Kerrie's, I thought back to that day. It had been about a week, maybe five, six days. That day.Holy shit. HO-LY, SHIT. I frenched my GAY best friend of the same gender. That's wrong on so many levels. And now I'm having a nerve attack. Dude, I'm TWITCHING. I need a drink. I walked down to the liquor store, and bought some Jack Daniels. That reminded me. I missed my best friend. When were they coming home? I need Alex, I think. She'd get anything. Kerrie's expression, however, was a little shock, and discomfort. Homophobe. Or maybe she was just a little shocked. No biggie. Wait! No, cuz, I'm not gay! I'm NOT! I just..started to make out with a dude, a little. Shit, well, everyone experiments in college. And so do rock stars. I'm college-age, and, well, on my way to rock stardom. So, this was perfectly reasonable. Perfectly. Shut up, I'm not gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I wonder why Henry hasn't called. Well, not like he's your BOYFRIEND, Tyler. Cuz he's NOT. Cuz you're straight. Even though they're'd be nothing wrong with that if you--Okay, okay, I'm just going in a circle here. And I refuse to go in a circle. Because I'm straight. And CIRCLES, children, are not straight. See? I'm nowhere near h-ho-ho-homosexual. See? I said it. Okay, enough with my little bipolar attack. Now was the time for heavy drinking.

ALEX

"Damnit, Carlos. Always getting your DAMN self into trouble. Oh, my God, I'm freaking out. Jack."

"Everything will be alright. We're gonna get there in time, and help these kids, try to stop them from getting shot up by each other. We just have to step up. No hesitation. No fear. They're just kids, they don't know what they're doing. They're just kids, playing cops and robbers."

"Are we the cops or the robbers?"

"Uh..who do you want to be?"

"I get to choose?"

"Sure. Just, pick one."

"Uh...I don't like cops."

"Me neither. So, robbers it is?"

"I suppose. I dunno. It just sounds so, old-fashioned."

"How about rebels? Or, vigilantes?"

"Vigilante is a weird word. I like being called a rebel. Cuz I like to think I am. I'm cool like that."

"All right. So, she's a rebel. Well, then, Love, we best get to our destination." Jack accelerated, and soon enough we were at Carlos's girlfriend's house. Her name was Shondrella. What's up with THAT? Anyway, we showed up at her apartment, and knocked. A boy, about eleven or twelve answered. "Taye! What did I tell you about answering the door?" Exclaimed a teen girl, who came up behind him, turning him back into the apartment. "Look through the peephole first. Coulda been some gangstas. Last thing you want is to get shot, Taye." She turned to us. "Can I help you?"

"Shondrella?" Jack asked.

"Hell no. Not that freaky-long-ass name. I go by Dre."

"As in, Dr. Dre?"

"I guess. What do you want?"

"It's about Carlos." I said.

"What happened? Are yall police? Cuz then yall best be armed in this neighborhood."

"No, no, Carlos is...well...no we're not police, but we are armed. Your boyfriend's in trouble."

"Says who?" That's when her 'tude kicked in.

"I'm Alex. This is Jack. I'm a friend of the family. We need to know where he is, because he about to get himself in deep shit."

"What else is new?"

Jack and I arrived outside an old warehouse downtown soon after. It was the perfect place for a gang war. It was, well, gang-war-y, I suppose. Cuz there was alleys, cover, very little population. But, what, did you think we'd show up EARLY for a gang war? You really can't plan these things. There was gunfire, and me and Jack ran for cover. I spotted some teenage guys across the street, also taking cover, but firing back whenever possible at whoever was shooting at them. From the information we got from Dre, they were wearing Carlos's colors. So, I don't know what Jack was thinking, but it seemed a very Mercer thing to do. He came out into the petty gunfire, pffft these kids couldn't hit shit. I'm serious. "FIVE-O! I wanna see some hands NOW, damnit!" Haha. I'll bet those little bastards shit themselves right then and there. I joined him.

"You, over there, hands up! Drop it!"

"Don't move, motherfuckers!"

"I'm looking for Carlos! Carlos get your ASS over here NOW!" I saw some scrawny kid, about fifteen, running over.

"Shit! Who the fuck are you? You ain't no cops, man!" Jack cocked his shotgun and Carlos shut up.

"C'mon man. We gotta get you back to your sister. She's freaking out. In the car." Jack said, and Carlos knew to follow his instructions.

"Alright, now all yall get the fuck home! Stop playing with guns, they are not toys, and especially when you can't hit shit." I said.

"Yeah, there are consequences. Carlos here is gonna be taken down to the station and beat until he spills information. Is that what you want? Is it? Go to school, do your homework, graduate, move out of this fucked city, marry a nice girl, and have lots of little prep school juniors, alright? Alright." He said, and we ran back to the car. Carlos was in the backseat, looking like, well, I have no planned comparisons. He just looked freaked out all right? Jack started driving, and I turned back to our little hostage.

"So Kid, how have you been?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Ah, I'm hurt. You don't remember me? I'm your sister's old friend, I'm Alex."

"Alex..Alex...Shit! Alex! Hey! Hey, I don't want to go back to my sister."

"Really?" Jack asked. "I mean, you're a guy, it's a stripjoint."

Carlos thought about it, and didn't object anymore. Jack had made a good point. So we went back to the stripjoint, and dropped Carlos off. Obviously, his memory had improved, and he remembered our history, how he used to look up to me, and how I'd saved his life once, because he wa now treating me like an old friend. We said goodbye to them, and got into the car.

"So," Jack said, in that Jack like way he had, "What now?"

"Now, we either get something pierced, tattooed, or we sleep."

"Hmm...well we have a lot piercings and tattoos between the two of us, so I'd say sleep."

"Thank God. Another piercing and I'd feel unholy."

"Alex, I'm sorry but I think that ship has sailed."

"You're probably right. Let's sleep then."

Jack drove us to a hotel, and we checked in, and went into the room. Nice. For a crackhouse. Nah, it was so-so. I was so tired, I just crashed. Jack layed next to me, and kissed me goodnight. Thank you, God. You didn't let him die.

JACK

A few hours after we crashed at the hotel, I woke up. Alex was standing over the sink in the bathroom, her face tear-stained, and she was splashing it with water. "Alex...What's wrong?"

She looked at me, sincerely. "I don't know. I just, c-couldn't breathe. I was overwhelmed. I had this dream, and everything I had been through just mixed together. Like, Chris, and Iciss, Carlos, Leah, Lionel, Stephen, Rey, Greg, Bobby, Evelyn...the baby. I realized how much I actually wanted it. Everything, just, hurt so much. I still have nightmares sometimes. The guys who..who r-raped me. Ever since I was 13. These shouldn't happen. It's been seven years. I just...just w-want them all to stop." I went over to her, and put my arms around her. She clung to me, her sobbing face in my shoulder. Something was wrong with her. She kinda wigs out every now and then. I understand she's been through stuff, but so have I, and I'm fine. For the most part. Maybe it was just that I was tired. Maybe she was. Maybe it was just a this-one-time thing. But I was worried. I loved her. More than anything. I would go miles for her, anything to see her smile, or just to see her. And I get to see her everyday. I couldn't ask for more. And we never fought. It's like, we spent so much time fighting the rest of the world, we can't turn on each other, not for an instant.

"I know baby." I whispered. "I wanted it too. You know, if we ever want kids, we can adopt."

"I know. But not any time soon. We're not old enough. Not yet...Jack? Do you want to go back?"

"Why? Do you?"

"I asked you first."  
"I asked you...second."

"Oh, then, maybe. I want to know what you want. Anything, to go home, for world peace, you want poptarts, whatever."

"I want to know your last name."

"Me too. C'mon."  
"Where are we going?"

"To go get something tattooed."

"Ah shit. Oh well. Why not?"


	23. Tattoos and Kidnappings

"Tattoos and Kidnappings"

ALEX

"Oh, Jack, that is _hot_. Nice."

"You like that, eh?"

"Yeah."

"Yours is hot too."

"Story of my life." I said, as Jack pulled me on to his lap, and kissed me. Moments like this, man. Even since we left, it's not like what happened could just go away. There was no vacation for us. Just a little more stress. So, not much of a point, I guess. We were gonna head home soon enough. But first, of course, we had to have something to show the guys back in Detroit. So I got 'Jack' tattooed on my lower back, as kinda of a caption to the design already there, and 'Spares' tattooed on me, like Jack, but on the back of my left shoulder. He got 'Alex' tattooed on his left chest, over his heart. Aww. Okay, I apologize for that. Sentimental moment is over now. Ooh, and I got my nipple pierced. God, I'm kidding. No, I won't prove it. Screw you, man. Anyway, it was time to go home. We got in the car. Jack, in the driver's seat, turned to me.

"You ready?"

"We're never ready Jack. In the whole time you've known me, have I ever been ready?"

"Well, then," He started the car, "Let's go home."

Of course, being me, I can't help but break into quiet song.

"_My heart is beating from me, I am standing all alone. Please call me only, if you are coming home."_

"What's that?"

"Green Day. Homecoming."

"Cool. Got anything I know?"

"Of course." I put in a CD. 'Walk This Way' started. "Everyone likes Aerosmith."

"Yeah, but who can actually sing along to this song?"

JACK

Ah, Detroit. I missed it so. Okay no I didn't. But I missed the people here. No, not the dealers, pimps, and gangbangers. The family and friends. We pulled up in front of the house. We got out, got our shit and went to the front door. When we came in, we went straight upstairs, and came back down after we dropped our stuff. Bobby's jaw hit the floor, but Angel hardly noticed. He was like, in a trance or something.

"Morning." Alex said, smiling.

"Where the hell were you? You just FUCKING take off like that!"

"Yes. We're sorry. Very much so."

"Can't we deal with this later? Something's wrong, isn't it?" I asked. "Angel? Bobby." I looked at Bobby, concerned.

"Sofi's gone."

"What happened? They fight?"

"They took her, Jack."

"Who?"

Bobby handed Alex the note, which we both read. "Jesus." Alex ran her hand through her hair. "Damnit. Sofi...What happened?"

"She was saying how some guys were hittin' on her, and it was real bad, we had to take care-a them, but, I dunno, they took us down. It's bigger that just some assholes this time. We're talking, Sweet-level. Maybe more, whatever, but we're waiting for a call." Bobby said. Angel still hadn't moved. That's when the phone rang. Fear instilled in us all. But Alex raced to the phone, after a moment, not wanting to lose a moment.

"Hello?" After an ungodly minute of anticipation, Alex hung up. "They gave a ransom."

"Ransom? What do they want?" Bobby asked.

"Me."

"What!" I practically deafened Angel with that.

"Listen, I don't know why, but all they said is, hand me over, and they won't kill her. They didn't say she gets free, just that they'll kill her if I don't go. So I'm going."

"What! No! Bobby--"

"Jack, I have to go, alright? I'll be fine. We're in no position to compromise. They said they wouldn't kill her. Homicidal conspirators don't lie. They find it takes away from the creepy factor."

I just stared at her, looking desperate for her to stay safe.

"Jack, don't think I'm not scared. I have to go, I'm going. None of you can stop me. I just want Sofi safe, and believe we both will be. They told me to meet them in an hour, public place, alone, so it doesn't look suspicious. Until then, here's what you can do..."

DEACON

"Really, Tyler, what's the problem? You never drink."

"Pffft. Hahaha, that's funny. I don't drink..."

"Haha I thought you'd like that. But really why now? Is something bothering you, man?" I had gone over to Tyler's, to see him drinking. I was more than happy to invite myself to join.

"Nothing is bothering me. I'm FABULOUS. Absolutabaly serene. Wheeee! See? Happy."

"So, how was YOUR day? Week? Month? Year? Solstice? How was your birthday, Tyler?" Yep. We were so drunk. You always seem more drunk when you're with other drunks. They really bring out the liquor content in you.

"My month SUCKED. Where the FUCK are Alex? And Jack? Where's the booze?" He said, reaching for the bottle, swaying, and having to attempt to grab it a few times before actually getting a hold of it, sloppily refilling his shot glass. Then there was knock at the door.

"Shit." I mumbled as I fumbled and stumbled to the door. I opened it to see Henry. "Well HELLOOOO Henry! Welcome to my humbable abodee. No wait, this is Tyler's place. Damn, how did I get here? Anyway, come in come in. Tyler look! It's HENRY! Whoooo!" I yelled, half-sarcastic, flailing my arms about wildly.

"Henry...Henry. Whoa...I..." He tried to stand up, but failed miserably.

"Hi. Whoa you guys are wasted. Man, gimme the booze. I'll make you guys some coffee. Come on."

So all I know is, the next day, I wake up on Tyler's couch, soo hungover but not as bad as I would have been if not for Henry. Tyler was ESPECIALLY appreciative, and by the sight I was greeted by when I looked into Ty's bedroom, I wasn't sure whether I should laugh, or just be severely freaked out.

ALEX

Damnit. Oh, God. No. Why? Why me? Frick. This is not good. Not good at all. No good. Very very bad. I suppose I should explain my distress. Stupid stupid Alex. I was captured by those guys. Taken. Things went very wrong. All I wanted was to meet them in a cafe, so I could find out why they wanted me, and if they would give up Sofi. I was supposed to call Bobby and tell him the terms, and locations, details of these guys, so maybe they could take care of them, but when I went to the bathroom, I was followed. Some random woman came up behind me, and pommeled me with a very large object. I should have figured. Bitch. I woke up tied to a chair, Sofi behind me, our chairs back-to-back, our four hands all bound together. "Well hey there Sof." I said, not taking my situation too seriously.

"Nice rescue attempt, Alex."

"Hey I was about to sacrifice myself to them for your life, so sue me. Next time don't whine about me not being there."

To tell you the truth, I'm not so sure how I got here. I just ended up somehow being captured for something. Anyway eventually, a couple of men came in to our little dungeon.

"What do you want?" Sofi spat.

"So rough," One man said, brushing Sofi's hair out of her face, "for such a pretty girl." Sofi cringed.

"Don't touch her." I snapped at him.

"You're in no position to threaten, my dear." Man #2 said to me. "We wouldn't want a repetition of a certain tragic event in your short life. You know the one."

"How do you know that? Leave me alone. Please. You wouldn't."

"Oh now she cooperates. Now she begs. I have connections, little one. I know what happened to you. Terrible, I'll give you that. But nevertheless, I need what I need, and I am going to get it. By any means necessary."

"I won't tell you shit. Actually, it depends on the question. But chances are, that will be my response. It usually is."

"So now Alex, are there any things in your past you regret?"

"Sure. Lots. Can we go now? That was easy."

"Not so hasty. That's just easing into it." And with that, he walked out.

"Alex?" Sofi asked, sheepishly.

"Yeah?"

"Are we gonna die here? Do you think he'll kill us?"

"No, Sofi. He might kill me though."

A while later, a few hours, maybe--we couldn't be sure, being stuck in this windowless mind-numbing prison and whatnot--the man came back in. "So, Alex, of all these things, what do you regret most?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"C'mon, Alex. The key to escaping is in the back of your mind, though I believe it is, or should be, fresh in your conscience. Until you admit this, well, this will be most unpleasant." He left, and a bit later returned, unbound the chairs together, after chloroforming Sofi, and took her into another room. Later on he came back this time bearing a Bic lighter.

"Ready to confess, my child?"

"Well, I'll take the Lord's name in vain a couple times, I'll tell you that in advance."

"Alexis. Always adding humor to the most tragic of situations. Aren't you scared?" I swallowed, saying nothing. "Of course you are."

"I am."

"You should be." With that he flicked the lighter.

"AGH! What do you _want_ from me?" I yelled through clenched teeth. My thigh was on fire. A burning agony overthrew my attempt to withstand this torment. At first I was reluctant to answer. I would not give him anything. But the burn was just the start. I was beaten, had hair ripped out, and was even eletrocuted a few times. Shit, I hate life. This is not the proper karma for me. But he seemed to think so. But one day he crossed the line. Big time.

He started by bringing Sofi back into the room, bringing his little friends. They forced me to watch while they raped one of my best friends. At that point I would tell them almost anything. But the fuckers never told me what I needed to say or do. Since I had nothing to say that was relevent, they made it more 'personal'. I remember being on the ground, a faceless person above me, and a pain, of present and past, shooting through my body and soul. My memories all came back more vivid than ever to the point where I couldn't even separate the two events. I eventually blacked out, as it came to an end. But it was not the end.

JEREMIAH

"Shit! Where--Well where is she Bobby!" Jack yelled, objective to our attempts to calm him down. "Three days, Jerry! Three fucking days..." He broke down, falling into my arms and crying. "I just want to know if she's alright. I know she isn't, because then she woulda came back. I need to know...if she's alive. I need her back!"

"Shh...shh...she'll be back. She'll find a way." At that point, I heard a door upstairs open, then close. I motioned for Bobby to go upstairs, since Sofi had been gone too, no one forgot that. But certainly Angel could use a shoulder, a brother.

BOBBY

"Aynge?"

"Yeah, Bobby?" He said, like there was no concerned, like he was bored.

"We'll find her. We'll get 'em both. They'll be back."

Silence.

"You think this is easy? That it's so simple for me and Jerry, is that it? Like we can't relate?"

"No,"

"Then what, Angel. Let me in for once. Let it go. Just, give me something that I can help you with. I know this is incredibly hard for you. Man, even I miss Sofi. I just...Agh! I _hate_ sitting here, wonderig if members of my family are even alive. I just...can't stand this! Agh!" I punched the wall. Angel came over to me, slowly pulling me into a hug, where we both broke into tears. Downstairs, Jack was still crying into Jeremiah's shoulder, as a single tear steamed down the older's face.


End file.
